Ashley Young is Manchester United’s solution to left-back woes
Ashley Young had a great start to his career at Manchester United but just as fans were beginning to ask questions, the former Watford man has provided answers.
The 32 year old Englishman was in danger of becoming dead wood at Manchester United but appears to have salvaged himself with his recent performances in the full-back positions. Initially filling in for Valencia for a game the Ecuadorian was being rested in, Young played impressively and did enough to convince Mourinho that he should be a starter.
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Of course though, Valencia was the manager’s undoubted number one pick for the right-back spot and so Ashley had to settle for the left-back position. He proved to be as comfortable there as he has been previously on either flank when he played higher up the pitch, after all, he is two-footed. Left-back has been a problem area arguably since Evra left Old Trafford but now there seems to be a solution.
Young has been solid at the back and explosive up front as he continuously bombed forward ahead of his winger but also covered his centre-backs well. In Antonio, he has the perfect example of how a winger can become a full-back successively in order to prolong a career. Just like the Ecuadorian, Ashley initially struggled defensively but now seems adept at all departments.
He may not be a traditional full-back but he doesn’t need to be if he continues to deliver as he did in the game against Southampton. Not only did the energetic defender put in plenty of great tackles but he also bamboozled his marker and delivered a great cross which Lukaku converted on the second time of asking.
Arguably his competitors wouldn’t have been able to do the same. His knowledge and experience as a former winger proved to be useful even in a deeper position and in Rashford he has the perfect partner, a teammate happy to cover him defensively should his attacking adventures go awry.
Rojo, Blind, Shaw and Darmian are all capable of playing in that position but it’s clear that no one, at least at the moment, measures up to Young so far. Of course, he will have to keep up his strong performances in order to lock down the position as his own but it’s unlikely Mourinho will trust anyone else there for the time-being.
Darmian meanwhile is much like Daley; capable of ‘doing a job’
The Manchester United boss sees Rojo more as a centre-back than a left-back, impressing Jose there during last season much to the surprise of the fans. Blind is a great utility man but as many said, he’s not a player who has the attributes his manager likes. He is intelligent but lacks the physical attributes to keep up with opposition wingers or even to beat them on the other end of the pitch to deliver a cross the way Ashley did.
Darmian meanwhile is much like Daley; capable of ‘doing a job’ but nothing more than that. Even on the right flank he hardly bursts forward to create the width his team so desperately craves. On the left flank it’s even worse as he tends to cut in on his preferred right foot, narrowing the team’s shape even further.
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As for Shaw, everyone knows his issues. When he’s fit and firing he’ll likely take over from Young but he has to first overcome injury problems as well as attitude problems. If he does so (and so far it’s a pretty big if), he can ultimately be Manchester United’s left-back for the next decade as intended but until then, fans can enjoy Ashley’s heroics a little longer.