Since the retirement of Gary Neville, Manchester United have struggled to find a consistent player to succeed the former skipper. Towards the end of Sir Alex’s tenure, the Da Silva twins looked promising and performed well when put in the position. But the brothers slowly fell out of favour one after the other. Fabio was shipped off to Queens Park Rangers while Rafael continued to play as the favoured right back through David Moyes’ cameo reign before being demoted to the bench under Louis Van Gaal, the current manager.
After investing heavily in the previous summer, Manchester United are set to be active in the upcoming summer transfer window yet again. One of the names on the wish list is that of Nathaniel Clyne, the Southampton right back. Louis Van Gaal will reportedly offer Southampton £25 million pounds for the promising Englishman. United fans are optimistic the deal will be brought to fruition following Clyne’s public admittance of his desire to play for the Old Trafford side.
Clyne – “I want to join Manchester United” (Source: Daily Star)
Antonio Valencia – a temporary option
The incumbent right back is Antonio Valencia. The Ecuadorian has performed his duties very well but is a make-shift option at best. The last couple of seasons have seen him fill in at right back due to lack of options. His pace and offensive thinking are exactly what one looks for in a full back, but his relatively inexperienced defensive mind effects his positioning and tackling in the sensitive third of the pitch. Valencia’s ability to deal with crosses is sometimes compromised and results in set pieces in dangerous positions.
Clyne is not as good as Valencia going forward, but outranks him in defensive abilities. He has been at the heart of the meanest defence of the league this season. The 24-year old has contributed to the Saints’ attack, scoring 2 goals and playing a vital part in the creation of many chances. He is tactically efficient and makes life easy for wingers by timing his overlapping runs to perfection. Clyne is confident and self assured in his talents. He is not shy of taking shots at goal and has displayed great composure while attacking -the perfect mix of balanced attributes a defender can possess.
Clyne for the future
With age on his side, the Englishman will become a vital cog in a possible defensive line with his compatriots Smalling, Evans and Shaw. Chris Smalling and Luke Shaw seem to have grown very quickly under Louis Van Gaal. Johnny Evans and Marcos Rojo also look like long term Manchester United players. Nathaniel Clyne will fit perfectly into this bunch. His addition will also free Valencia to pursue ambitions further up the pitch.
If better judgement prevails and De Gea decides to stay at Old Trafford, he will command a defence line which will not be changed for years to come. The United back four have at least 5 years of development in them. This spells out consistency, something the team has lacked at the back since the departure of Ferdinand, Vidic and Evra.