When Antonio Valencia signed for Manchester United in 2009, there was a unanimous feeling of disappointment surrounding his transfer among the club’s supporters, given he was expected to replace the departed Cristiano Ronaldo and wasn’t the big money signing many would have craved to see.
That was quickly put to bed when he established a formidable partnership with Wayne Rooney, creating over 80 chances in all competitions and providing seven assists. Such was his meteoric rise at Old Trafford that he was awarded the prestigious Number 7 shirt for his displays post the 2011-12 season, having been voted the club’s Player of the Year.
The following season proved to be the exact opposite of the previous three years. Despite being acknowledged as an important member of United’s title-winning campaign, Valencia’s form took a major dip and his decision to revert to his original shirt number 25 was indicative of the pressure he was forced to deal with in that iconic jersey. He showed flashes of his pacey best under David Moyes thereafter but never really returned to the heights he scaled under Sir Alex Ferguson.
The appointment of Louis van Gaal sprung a host of tactical and positional changes at Manchester United, one of which was the permanent integration of Valencia into a right-back role. Incidentally, that is where the South American began playing in the formative stages of his career, his transition to an offensive role materializing over the years to follow. In spite of having been shoehorned into that position before, there was plenty of discontent regarding that switch. Valencia had developed rigid attacking instincts as a winger and some of his performances in the second half of van Gaal’s first season in charge suggested he did not possess the appropriate defensive mindset expected of a full-back.
The 2015-16 campaign was a difficult one for the Ecuador captain as a foot injury in the season’s first Manchester derby ruled him out of action for five months. All in all, Valencia made only fourteen league appearances although he did make van Gaal’s starting line-up for United’s FA Cup final against Crystal Palace. With Matteo Darmian in reserve for United, many felt Valencia would play second fiddle to the Italian, come the following season.
So far that thought has been well and truly disproved as Valencia now appears to be Jose Mourinho’s first choice at right-back for United. What’s more is that he has settled into the role better than ever before with a host of promising displays. Having assisted Zlatan Ibrahimović’s winner against Leicester City in the FA Community Shield, Valencia seems to have made that position his own and has improved leaps and bounds in the defensive department. His last ditch tackle to prevent Roberto Firmino from handing Liverpool an almost certain lead in Monday night’s goalless draw at Anfield stands testament to that.
The statistics back it up too. On an average this season, Valencia has made more blocks, clearances and lost fewer tackles as compared to his previous two campaigns in defence. From an attacking viewpoint, he has created more chances and looked a lot more menacing while overlapping his winger. He has also made sixteen tackles so far, a marginal downgrade on his tally two seasons ago but impressive nonetheless. Valencia not only does his duties well but thinks quicker and clearer as a right-back now under Mourinho. That may be attributed to the Portuguese boss’ tactical mindset, a case of which was on display against Liverpool in the Premier League.
Valencia is expected to be part of an unaltered back four in domestic competitions at least. While Darmian and academy product Timothy Fosu-Mensah have replaced him in the club’s three Europa League games thus far, his assured position in the Premier League ought to render him unfazed. The transition from a blistering winger to a more cautious full-back is now complete and a lot remains to be seen whether he can cement his place as one of the division’s best.