Manchester United might not be perfect, but they have a collective focus under Michael Carrick’s management and are well worth their money in the bid to qualify for the Champions League.
Last season’s woes under Ruben Amorim seized United in their journey toward European football and has kept them confined to the domestic front.
Carrick returned to Old Trafford in January and found a disjointed and dispirited side who were staring at a second successive season of misery. And yet, he recorded back-to-back Premier League wins over Manchester City and Arsenal to rekindle this team, and they are not quite firing on all cylinders but at least more than a few.
Throughout the campaign, skipper Bruno Fernandes has been immense, but with most of his teammates now performing at a higher level, he has taken his game to another level.
The form of Bruno Fernandes
Perhaps Fernandes actually took his game to another level when he proved to be such a brilliant shining light throughout the miserable first half of the season, but at least he is now riding a bigger wave at surface level.
Arsenal are probably going to lift the Premier League title this season, but there’s a strong case to be made that this is the Player of the Season, the man who has influenced and galvanised and proved the ultimate difference-maker. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the Red Devils would be languishing lower down the standings were it not for their Portuguese Magnifico.
The 31-year-old has posted eight goals and 16 assists in the Premier League this season. He is chasing down Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne’s seemingly cursed assist record of 20.
If he clinches that individual accolade, he will thoroughly deserve it. After all, Fernandes has far outstripped his divisional rivals in regard to creativity this season.
|
Premier League 25/26 – Chances Created |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Apps |
Chances |
|
Bruno Fernandes |
28 |
99 |
|
Declan Rice |
30 |
56 |
|
Dominik Szoboszlai |
29 |
55 |
|
Anton Stach |
26 |
54 |
|
Bukayo Saka |
27 |
52 |
He’s the star of the show, and no mistake, but while United have made gains of late, the Portuguese playmaker might hope for a higher calibre of teammate in a few instances, having failed to win the Premier League or the Champions League during his time in England.
INEOS must act with ambition.
Man Utd must sell star who’s played more than Bruno
Manchester United have enjoyed a sharp turnaround over the past several months, but they still need to clear out some flotsam this summer, and while he’s been a stalwart, Luke Shaw must be among the sold.
The veteran left-back only has a year left on his contract, so there’s a chance that keeping him around would impede Carrick (or whoever else takes the permanent role this summer) in rebuilding the Theatre of Dreams.
Shaw, 30, has become conservative in his ball-playing, lacking motion on the ball and belief when playing it forward. He has only created one big chance all year, and despite that, he’s lost the ball 9.5 times per game on average, also completing a dribble once every five outings.
Here’s the thing: Shaw remains an able defender and a useful squad option, but he’s started each of Man United’s 31 Premier League fixtures this season, and has actually featured more regularly than any other member of Amorim and then Carrick’s squad.
|
Most Minutes at Manchester United (25/26) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Apps |
Minutes |
|
Luke Shaw |
31 |
2,628′ |
|
Bruno Fernandes |
30 |
2,573′ |
|
Diogo Dalot |
31 |
2,416′ |
|
Senne Lammens |
26 |
2,340′ |
|
Matheus Cunha |
30 |
2,255′ |
That’s not good enough, because Shaw isn’t good enough. He’s a popular presence in Manchester, having been with the club for over a decade, joining as a prodigious talent from Southampton for £30m in 2015, injuries hampering what could have been a career of greatness.
But now, it’s time for him to draw the curtain on his long career at the club, with Patrick Dorgu currently sidelined and bound to reclaim his berth when fit enough to do so, really coming into his own before that cruel winter blow.
Shaw, conversely, has been “nowhere near it” for large portions of the season, as commented by Gary Neville.
He hasn’t been abject all year – far from it – but INEOS and Man United must be ruthless in restoring this club to its one-time status, imperious at the summit of English and European football.
Shaw has done all he can in recent years, but it’s probably time to part ways and bank a sizeable transfer fee while they still can, especially if you buy into recent transfer rumours that the Northerners are angling for a raid on Arsenal this summer for Myles Lewis Skelly.
While Shaw has avoided any significant fitness setbacks this season, it’s clear that he no longer boasts his former athleticism and physicality, and that has been further disrupted by hesitance in his playmaking.
There’s still a lot to play for, and while Manchester United will end the season without silverware, they have a fantastic chance to not only return to Europe but do so with a flourish, getting one over the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool.
In this, Shaw has played his part, but clinging onto the past has been one of the cruxes of these recent years of struggle for those of a Red Devils persuasion, and it’s time to enact more change and redirect this outfit.
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