Football News: Manchester United Players - Marks out of 10

Manchester United Players - Marks out of 10

De Gea - 6.
Credit where it's due, the guy can pull off some quite incredible saves. However, the game evolved beyond his capabilities years ago and it's absolutely time to replace him with a GK with a broader range of attributes.
Bench.

Wan-Bissaka - 6.
Great recovery speed and an absolute wand of a tackling stick, but that's absolutely all there is to him. A basic defender and terrible attacker, looks lost on the ball and couldn't read the game if it was illustrated for him.
Sell.

Dalot - 6.
A frustrating season for him. Decent form leading up to the WC, then injury gremlins for himself and other defenders dropped him behind Wan-Bissaka and/ or out of position as cover. Would still be a useful understudy to a proper top-class RB.
Bench.

Shaw - 8.
Taken the challenge presented by Malacia's arrival and developed further again. This has to be his best season so far and deserves every bit of the praise he gets.
Starter.

Malacia - 6.
I like his spirit and gusto - he's got that little bit of bite to him. At the beginning of the season I thought he'd relegate Shaw to the bench and, had it not been for the stellar season his rival's had, he might well have done.
Bench.

Martinez - 8.
What a player he is. The tenacity and passion he puts into every match is just beautiful. The amount of times I've seen slow-motion replays of his crunchers and found myself bubbling with excitement probably means I'm quite a sad individual, but hey, I don't care.
Love this guy, proper defender.
Starter.

Varane - 7.
Still a Rolls-Royce of a defender - calm, composed and a decent baller. Injuries are certainly his weakness now and it's time to bring in another face.
Bench.

Lindelof - 7.
I would say this season has arguably been his best. He's played alongside Martinez, Varane, Shaw and Maguire this season and has looked very capable - to the point where his partnership with Shaw was almost as good as that of Martinez and Varane.
Bench.

Maguire - 4.
Yes, he hasn't appeared as often as he'd like, but he's still a defensive lummox.
Sell.

Casemiro - 8.
Best signing made for years. An absolute class act of a warrior.
Player of the year for me - superb!
Starter.

Eriksen - 7.
Excellent before that moronic piece of trash Andy Carroll wiped him out. Since his return, he has found it difficult to get back up to speed. Hopefully he's back properly next season, picking locks, but I'd still like an upgrade.
Bench.

Fernandes 8.
While he still continues to give me the rage with his histrionics and petulance, he's still the orchestrator of so much that's good. I expect another level to be found next year though, I know it's there.
Starter.

McTominay 4.
He can do a job and has the spirit, but, like Soucek and Loftus-Cheek, the big guy just lacks that little bit of cuteness and quality to set him apart from his peers.
He needs a move.
Sell.

Fred 6.
Although nothing special, you cannot question the energy or fight this lad has. He has displayed again this season that, albeit infrequently, he can put in some excellent performances where he seems like he's actually 2 players - all over his opponent like a rash. Still a good squad option.
Bench.

Van de Beek - 3.
Very unfortunate with the injury but, let's be fair, he's just not good enough.
Sell.

Sancho - 4.
There's definitely a player in there, but he seems so unsure of himself to the point where he doesn't have the composure to release the ball when he has an easy option. The whole running with his head down into clusters of opponents drives me up the wall. I'd give him one more season to sort it out.
Bench.

Garnacho - 8.
Although still raw, this kid is the real deal. The type of player no FB wants to face. Left side, right side, inside, outside, running at you, past you, through you, around you, pass, move, layoff, shooting on sight, charging into the box, 18yo. Absolute mustard. One more season as Rashy's understudy.
Bench.

Antony - 7.
I'll give Antony the credit of 7 as he frequently finds himself being doubled up on so quickly because opponents now know how good he is on his left foot. With a Frimpong-type of FB/ WB next season, he could well look phenomenal.
Starter.

Pellistri - 6.
He has looked useful, but hasn't quite made a real challenge. If Amad does stay at OT next season which is likely, I'd be tempted to loan him out one final time to see if there's anything to unlock.
Loan.

Martial - 3.
I've just had enough of this bluffer. Physical defenders must be overjoyed when they see this chump's name on Manchester United's teamsheet, he's a coward. I know some people don't like that word being used, but I 100% stand by it.
Sell.

Rashford - 8.
His best ever season and would be my POTY were it not for the impact brought in by the incredible Casemiro. There's still more room to develop for Rashy - this coming season could be even better again.
Starter.

Elanga - 3.
Seldom seen, but still worth more than £10m. Definitely time to go.
Sell.

Erik ten Hag - 8/10. Came in with an almost studious air of assurance that gave me confidence that this guy could actually be the man. Allowed the FdJ business to inhibit the club's ability to get deals done quicker (yes, that was partly his fault - don't kid yourselves into thinking otherwise). Made 3 very wise signings, then brought in a winger for way more than he's worth because the club dithered and dithered, dithered a bit more, then added a lovely gloss of dither onto proceedings. Began the season with a horror show, then turned it around to take us to 2 Cup Finals with 1 trophy and a 3rd place finish. He's achieved is objective and will be expected to raise the bar again next season.

The Old Trafford fans - as always - 10/10.

The Glazers - 1/10.
I wish they would just leave and quickly, but I fear they will be sticking around for a good while yet. This season just gone could be yet another random spike of productivity to be followed by yet more insulting trash from the money men. Sir Jim could well be yet another voice of ignorance towards the will of the fans. Fingers are still crossed that they will go, but I'm not at all confident.

The season as a whole - 8/10.
We've rid ourselves of the ego and the toxic culture he breeds, we've established the initial phase of a complete culture change where there is passion seen on the pitch, we've made some decent signings, we've ridden the tides of form and injury concerns with a squad lacking the depth of quality and achieved all the minimum requirements without a top-level No. 9. A cup win and 3rd place is, for me, a jolly good season - roll on the next. Hopefully, we'll be Jassim's United - fingers are firmly crossed.

Written by Woggle June 04 2023 20:57:03