Manchester United squad preview 2021/22

 Blurb & Intro

The August boredom has hit so I thought I'd do my own little preview for the available Manchester United squad against Leeds.  These are my own judgements, not backed up by any statistics, however I will be following this up with one completely based on data after the first 10 games of the season.  Obviously this is all opinion based so here goes..!

Goalkeepers

My number 1 - Dean Henderson

This is a topic that I'm sure will be heavily debated as it seems we are going to have a surplus of strong goalkeepers, but Dean Henderson is my number 1.  Supporting De Gea was a far easier task when he was the standout performer in a pathetic rearguard, but Henderson strikes me as far more commanding, a brilliant work ethic, a winner's attitude... everything we look for.  Yes, Dean may trail behind David in shot stopping but as a young goalkeeper I'm sure he will get there.  So for me, Hendo just fills me with that extra bit of confidence I feel you need to have in a goalkeeper.

A man with a point to prove - David De Gea

I have always loved David but I just have no confidence in him any more.  His form is erratic, his kicking seems to be getting worse and it's become a challenge to spot him at corners as he just gets lost.  Maybe the media are a bit tough on David but I'm just more confident in Dean.  Honestly, I thought the Europa League final would have signalled the end of his time at united.  There seems to be little interest from anyone willing to take David away from Manchester United and I'm sure his monster wages will leave him content at the moment (even if that is on the bench).  I hope David & Dean can raise each other's game and there can be some real healthy competition between the two that inspire both to compete at the top of their game.

One of the weirdest summer signings in a while - Tom Heaton

After watching him through pre-season, Tom certainly isn't here to be number 3.  We are now in a position where we have probably the best goalkeeping cohort in the league yet I still don't feel any of them are among "the best" goalkeepers in the league.  Tom I'm sure is a brilliant character to have in the dressing room and strikes me as a strict professional, so I'm sure that will take him a long way.

The future coach - Lee Grant

After watching Lee in pre-season, I can't imagine he will provide too much of a threat to the other three goalkeepers competing for spots in all competitions.  Lee is transitioning to be a coach and I would be amazed if we see him get on the pitch at all this season.

Full backs

The star boy living up to his potential - Luke Shaw

Luke has undoubtedly been one of the standout players over the last couple of seasons and I hope he can keep up his incredible form in both attack and defence.  After a brilliant euros, I hope he can pick up where he left off and will continue to be one of the first names on the team sheet.  As always, the only worry with Luke is his injury record, so let's pray Luke can keep up the quality performances he's been dropping for a long time now without too many injury disruptions.

The man deemed responsible for Luke's excellent season - Alex Telles

I must admit when I found out Alex was coming in and for a real reduced fee I was absolutely buzzing.  Sadly, Alex has never really established himself as the first choice left back despite his incredible career at Porto but it is widely suggested that he is the one responsible for pushing Luke to his limits.  I hope this season we see a little more of Alex, but as long as Shaw keeps it up, I most certainly won't be complaining.

Spiderwan - Aaron Wan-Bissaka

Rightfully recognised as one of the best defensive right backs in the premier league, it seems Aaron is our long term first choice right back.  Despite his young age, impressive speed, excellent recovery runs and confidence in the tackle... we must address the elephant in the room.  Aaron still looks awkward going forwards.

The Trippier alternative - Diogo Dalot

Dalot and Aaron could be considered the yin and yang of full backs.  Aaron the complete defensive full back who tackles wingers head on without any fear VS Diogo the ultimate attacking full back who whips in a lovely ball and loves a run down the wing.  I think Diogo is the perfect right back to have competing with Aaron and hopefully they can learn a bit off each other.  Yes I'm sure lots of united fans would rather a more established right back such as Trippier to be working with Aaron but Diogo's impressive loan spell last season has more than merited a chance to prove himself at united should he want that.

The utility full back - Brandon Williams

I must admit I think Brandon would really benefit from a loan spell out in the premier league such as the rumoured moves to Norwich or Southampton, however he is still a very useful player to keep at the club should neither of those moves materialise.  Brandon can fairly competently play at both right back and left back, with a fairly balanced ability in both attack and defence so his skills are rare among young players like him.  

Centre backs

England's superhero - Harry Maguire

I honestly don't have a lot to say about the skipper except I hope he keeps himself fit.  Harry is absolutely one of the first names on the team sheet with a resilient personality, an air of confidence and I'm so happy we are finally partnering him with a world renowned centre back like Raphael Varane.  If I could ask one thing, it would be that Harry spends a little bit of time with new set piece coach Eric Ramsey after an underwhelming return of goals for a centre back of his size and stature.

It's murder when he scores & the reds are in the mood ;) - Raphael Varane

Yes of course I am basing these opinions of the three or four Real Madrid games I watch in the champions league every season but I must admit I'M BUZZING!  He seems the perfect partner for Harry - tall, strong, quick, confident on the ball, excellent recovery runs and used to playing with a free roaming centre backs (Umtiti & Ramos) with similar positional sense to Harry Maguire.

The iceman and newly appointed Sweden captain - Victor Lindelof

Victor appears to be third in the pecking order now and is often on the receiving end of a tonne of abuse whenever the defence parts like the Red Sea, however I do believe he is treated a tad harshly.  Ever since Jose brought him in Victor has been working hard to bring the ball out the back and before Maguire was often considered the best of a bad bunch.  No he isn't the strongest, tallest, most athletic or particularly strong in the tackle, however he is still a useful player, undoubtedly a good ball player and by the sounds of it a fairly big leader in the dressing room.  Don't sleep on Victor.

Mr Out Of Context - Eric Bailly

Erratic Eric has been an established nutter since ever since Zlatan Ibrahimovic joined the football club and was once considered the best centre back here.  In Eric's list of strengths he brags incredible bravery, a resilient physique, excellent pace and is rarely beaten in the air however his two domineering weaknesses trump all of those strengths for me.  First is Eric's inability to keep fit.  Regardless of the reasoning behind this, one of the most important parts of a football team is an established centre back partnership and sadly it just seems Eric will never be able to make up half of one.  And then we have his erratic decision making.  You'd never be surprised if Bailly gets the ball, runs the length of the pitch and rainbow flicks the goalkeeper, but the issue is you also wouldn't be surprised if he fell straight over the ball and gave it to the striker.  I honestly can't believe we gave this man a new contract, but I'm all for it and hopefully he can keep providing twitter with the content that keeps us entertained all week between matches!

A man that must go back out on loan - Teden Mengi

I've seen very little of Teden but he seemed to learn a lot from his loan spell at Derby based on the interviews I watch.  I hope Teden can get back out there and gain a little more experience before he returns again to United as I'm sure game time is going to be very rare for him this season should he stay.

The disappearing man - Phil Jones

Yes he's still here!  Honestly struggling to put a sentence together for Phil as I've seen him have more haircuts that minutes played in the last year.  Here's to the return of Phil!

Central midfielders

One half of McFred - Scott McTominay

Despite not being the most attractive on the pitch, Scott has quickly established himself as one of Ole's go to players especially in the big games.  We also saw glimpses of the old number 10 McTominay from the academy a few times during the season such as the game against Leeds.  Should we not bring in another holding Midfielder, I'm sure Scott will have plenty of opportunities to impress again this season and hopefully we can see some of that attacking promise flourish that he showed glimpses off last season.

The other half of McFred - Fred

Fred's united career has been a really strange one and I'm excited to see what next season has in store for our little Brazilian.  In his first season under Jose, Fred was considered an enormous failure and a complete flop before reversing his reputation under Ole straight after with our newly ordained "Pastor Fred" being considered the man steering Ole's ship by the wheel.  Then came last season where Fred quickly re-established himself as a player nobody wanted on the pitch again.  Similar to McTominay, Fred was often used in the most important games across the season.  Ole obviously has a lot of trust for both of these boys, however should the talent pool of holding midfielders improve, I'm sure Ole's trust in these boys will be tested.

Loved and hated - Paul Pogba

Now entering into his last year of his lucrative contract, Paul is certainly one of the players that has benefitted from Ole's more expansive brand of football.  Often seen as a holder or more recently on the left of a three behind the striker, Paul has again established himself as one of the best players in this team.  I think there is now an overwhelming appreciation for Paul's quality, however there is also an acceptance that should Paul leave on a free at the end of this season we will still be okay.  I hope his tiresome agent can commit Paul to the club for the foreseeable future, however should Paul leave at the end of the season I would still imagine he will have a sizeable part to play in the coming season.

If only he was a few years younger - Nemanja Matic

Nemanja seems to be Ole's go to man when we only play with one holding midfielder and I thought he had a stellar pre season.  Matic does give us that flexibility to return to the lockdown 433 system alongside Pogba & Bruno, however we all know due to his age and lack of mobility this wouldn't be sustainable.  If I were in the scouting team I would be looking for a player that fits the Matic mould, just a few years younger.

Seemingly everybody's starboy - Donny Van De Beek

Often referred to as Van De Bench last season, I can't imagine this season can go any worst than the last one for our Dutch international centre mid.  Despite this, I am in a minority when I say that the majority of Donny's performances last season didn't merit a starting place.  I still can't workout whether he is a 6, an 8 or a 10.  Donny seems to have a good work ethic, he has bulked up since the end of the season, he is a hard worker, neat and tidy on the ball yet he doesn't quite knock anyone out of the team.  Similar to Alex Telles, there is an appreciation for his quality and I hope Donny has a few more opportunities to impress this season.  

An exciting prospect - James Garner

I have watched a little bit of James across pre season and his Nottingham Forest loan spell last season and the boy always impresses me.  He certainly offers something a little bit different to all the other holding mids at the club, however I still think he would benefit from another year out on loan playing week in week out.

Number 10s

Our Portuguese magnifico - Bruno Fernandes

You'd do well to find a better singing for us since Sir Alex retired and he is now our established number 10.  Bruno is a brilliant set piece taker, rarely injured and is also considered to be a big leader in the dressing room so what's not to love?  Although, Bruno's end of the season and Euros was a little underwhelming so hopefully he can come back well rested and ready to shine again!  Undoubtedly the first choice number 10.

A rejuvenated man - Jesse Lingard

I think we all fell back in love with Jesse during his loan spell at West Ham last season and I must admit I am surprised he is still with us.  For me, if Jesse stays his job will be similar to Telles in providing competition for Bruno, pushing him to be the best he can be.  Jesse's attitude is now well known to be ambitious and hard working so I'm sure that will be well rewarded throughout all competitions should he choose to stay with us for the following season.

The pre-season Pirlo/Pele - Andreas Pereira

Andreas is a player most of us haven't seen a lot of recently but enough of to suggest he probably isn't good enough to be challenging for a place.  With that said, he predictably set the world on fire again in pre-season, most noticeably with his outrageous finish against Brentford so maybe this could be the year we see the pre-season Pirlo flourish.

A real one of a kind - Juan Mata 

I must admit I thought we had seen of the last of Juan so predictably he was offered a new contract with a big wage.  I can't imagine we will see to much of him this season and yes he seems like a brilliant player to have in the dressing room, but I'm still confused on why he was giving such a large wage if his main job is going to be motivational speeches in the dressing room.

A gem being discovered - Hannibal Mejibri

Maybe the long haired Tunisian will end up out on loan this season but I'm really excited about this one, Hannibal will be a superstar I'm calling it now.

Wingers

The saga is over - Jason Sancho

I follow Bayer Leverkusen so I have ended up watching quite a lot of the Bundesliga over the last couple of seasons and I must say I'm excited.  Of course as a young Englishman playing abroad Jadon has been criminally overhyped and I hope you aren't expecting to see YouTube Jadon, however I am still excited!  We have been crying out for a right winger and now we have one and hopefully one for a very long time.  Welcome to the better side of Manchester Jadon!

A man in need of a rest - Marcus Rashford

I could not be more glad Marcus is finally going to get the surgery he needs.  Despite his respectable statistics, we could all tell Marcus wasn't playing at his best last season so hopefully we get to see that soon enough again.  Yes we are left with a bit of a hole on the left of the front three for the start of the season but I'm sure it's a risk worth taking.

The wonderkid breaking through - Shola Shoretire

Shola & Facundo real impressed me throughout pre-season and I hope Shole gets minutes whether that's on loan or still at the club.  I think he is my favourite out of the current cohort or breaking through academy players.

A new part of the first team - Anthony Elanga

Anto showed so much promise in pre season and showed a tonne of raw potential.  I hope Anthony gets the chances he deserves this season and his flexibility to play anywhere across the usual front 4 should maximise his minutes.

An expensive gamble - Amad Diallo

For his age and experience, Amad was a massive risk financially and is yet to really pay off.  This suggested loan move could be an absolute life saver for Amad.  He most certainly hasn't merited a first team spot but he's still got a long time to prove his worth.

Numer 9s

Give it, give it, give it - Edinson Cavani

If he's fit, he starts.  End of.  A brilliant player who has worked his way into all of our hearts and I'm sure he will keep his form going this season if he can keep fit.  He most certainly needs replacing soon but let's enjoy him while we can.

A man that splits the fan base - Anthony Martial

Anthony has a lot to prove this season after a dreadful season.  I hope his lockdown form can resurface as the talent is undoubtedly there, his season is just impossible to predict.

The dynamite, both footed winger/striker - Mason Greenwood

The best finisher at the club and he just seems to keep getting better.  Mason is definitely benefitting from playing under Ole and I hope he absolutely smashes this season.