Manchester United: Who Should Stay And Who Should Go?

The current Manchester United squad is certainly not a vintage one, and it is a testament to the powers of the great man that Sir Alex Ferguson was able to make it look so good as it strolled to the title in his last season at the club. Looking at the results this season, and more worryingly, the performances, the lack of world class talent is obvious in many positions. With the January transfer window now open, I will look in depth at the current first-team squad, analysing every player and suggesting who I think should stay and who should go, and who would be a good replacement.

Goalkeepers

David De Gea: Still young in goalkeeping terms, the Spaniard has really developed over the last year into the keeper that United hoped he would be, and looks every inch the natural heir to the number 1 jersey at Old Trafford. In time, could be as good as Schmeichel and Van Der Sar were. Stay.

Anders Lindegaard: Had a chance last season to battle with De Gea for the starting spot, but despite having many chances, failed to shine and eventually lost out. In my opinion too good to be a back-up, and he will certainly be looking to move in the summer at least in an attempt to gain more football and force his way back into the Denmark squad. Leave. No replacement necessary.

Ben Amos: Ben came through the youth ranks at Old Trafford, and there were certainly high hopes for him in his younger days, but that talent has never really flourished, but as a local lad will make an excellent understudy to De Gea after Lindegaard’s departure. Stay.

Sam Johnstone: A bright young goalkeeper who has impressed the coaches at Old Trafford. Whether he can make the step up to the first team in the future is debatable, but only time will tell. Stay.

Defenders

Rafael Da Silva: Rafael is an exciting young fullback who possesses obvious speed and threat going forwards, but whose defending needs work. Has progressed very well over the last 18 months, and shows signs of being a great player for United for years to come, he just needs to stay fit and have a good run in the team. Stay.

Fabio Da Silva: Never looked as sure or as settled as his brother, even struggled when on loan at QPR last season. Not good enough for QPR and should be leaving United soon for pastures new. Only saving grace is that he can play right and left back and might be seen as a good back up player. Leave. No replacement necessary.

Chris Smalling: Since joining from Fulham, Smalling has shown glimpses of the obvious talent he has at centre-back, but competition for the spot alongside Vidic at OT is fierce and he is yet to have a run of games and cement that spot as his own. Chris has shown good composure when he plays though and is definitely a future first choice, both for Manchester United and for England. Stay.

Jonny Evans: Evans has been a conundrum for years at United. In his early years with the club he struggled with injuries, but was obviously a talented defender, with great faith shown in him from Sir Alex. Unfortunately he has never quite taken that step that is required to be a great player, and one worthy of playing for a club like United. Leave. A bright young centre-back such as Kurt Zouma at Saint-Etienne would be perfect.

Phil Jones: When he arrived from Blackburn a couple of years ago, Ferguson was delighted to have his man, and has often said that he is one of the most naturally talented defenders he has ever seen, with the possibility of becoming one of the best players to have ever played the position. Comparisons have been made with Duncan Edwards, but we are yet to see Jones in that light at centre-back. Often played out of position, and with injury issues affecting his development, I would love to see him play alongside Vidic this season to really learn his craft. The future of both club and country. Stay.

Nemanja Vidic: Vidic is the heart and soul of the current Manchester United defence, and when he is playing it gives everyone a lift and gives the opposition a cause for concern. A commanding presence on the pitch and in the dressing room, the talismanic captain is United’s best defender by far, and can help develop the young defenders around him. How much longer he can keep going for is questionable, but must start for United for at least the next season and a half, and really bring along the young talent. Stay.

Rio Ferdinand: Ferdinand has been a wonderful servant for both England and Manchester United and in his prime was one of the best defenders in the world. That was a long time ago now though, and when he has played, United have won only 29% of games this season, rather than the 62% they have won without him. Will surely stay on at the club but I see his role more in coaching and developing the youngsters, with his playing days likely to be behind him. Leave. No replacement necessary.

Patrice Evra: One of the few January signings that Ferguson made in his time at the club, along with Vidic, and surely one of the most successful. Over the last few years he has been one of the most consistent players in the league, and a great player for the club, as well as a leader on the pitch. But this season his lack of pace has been exposed at times and Father Time can’t be held back forever. With rumours circulating of a move back to France, don’t be surprised if he leaves in the summer. Leave. To replace Evra I think we would need someone like Luke Shaw, who is impressing so much at Southampton at the moment, Leighton Baines would be another option, but I would prefer a young full-back.

Guillermo Varela: Sir Alex’s last signing for the club, and a very, very puzzling one. Doesn’t look anywhere near good enough for a club like Manchester United, and must surely be sent on his way by Moyes. Leave. No need to replace him, although getting someone in to challenge Rafael would be good. Possibly Nathaniel Clyne or Callum Chambers from Southampton with a nod to the future.

Alexander Buttner: Another surprise signing, with many people both inside and outside the club questioning if he could make the step up. Has struggled to adjust and impose himself on any game with his defending. Not good enough for this current squad, or indeed any Manchester United team. Leave. Fabio Coentrao seems to be the left-back that we can expect to see joining at some point, and for what it is worth I think he will do a good job without being spectacular.

Michael Keane: Keane can play at both centre-back and right-back, and is currently thriving on loan at Derby County in the Championship. Named as United’s Reserve Player of the Year in 2012 with over 60% of the vote, and on his debut for the first-team was labelled as ‘fantastic’ by Darren Fletcher. Has a very bright future at Old Trafford and will be looking to break into the first-team squad over the next 2 years. Stay.

Midfielders

Michael Carrick: The lynchpin of the current United midfield, the former Spurs man is absolutely vital to Manchester United, and is sorely, sorely missed when not playing. The one player who’s spot in the team is absolutely not in question. Stay.

Marouanne Fellaini: Having stated when he joined the club that he wanted to be ‘the new Roy Keane’, Fellaini has not made the kind of impact that he or Moyes would have wanted and expected when he made the £27.5m move this summer. Not technically good enough to play off a front man, and needs to work on his passing and positioning if he wants to join Carrick in the deeper role in midfield. I wouldn’t give up on him just yet though. Stay.

Tom Cleverley: Loved by players and managers, but continually questioned by fans, it is make or break time now for Cleverley and his Manchester United career. Given the lack of depth in midfield, he needs to take his chance to show everyone what he can do. His role in the team is to keep the game ticking over and retain possession for the champions, which he does well, but he needs to impose himself more going forward and really dominate a few games before he proves his doubters wrong. Still young though with time to develop, and worth hanging on to. Stay.

Anderson: Immensely talented footballer with a wand of a left foot, but almost continually injured and his chances is recent seasons have been fewer and fewer. Unlikely to ever be a started, needs to move on, for his sake and for the club. Leave. A replacement such as Joao Moutinho from Monaco, or Marco Verratti from PSG would be good.

Darren Fletcher: The Scotland captain has done incredibly well to recover from his horrible condition and get back to playing football, and United need him to rediscover his old form. On his day was a brilliant midfielder who could control and dominate games, and a partnership between him and Carrick at the heart of the team could only be a good thing. Stay.

Ryan Giggs: Probably the best Premier League player ever, and in the running for best player to ever play for Manchester United, but in his forties now, and trying hard to hold back time. Can still have a great impact on a game, but can’t be expected to play a large part in any success the team has. Fully expect him to retire at the end of the season to concentrate on coaching and really start his journey to becoming a Manchester United manager, which surely will happen eventually. Leave. An ideal replacement would be Ross Barkley, who has the ability to become one of the best players of his generation.

Antonio Valencia: The club’s player of the year in 2011, and a classic go-past-your-man-and-cross-it winger, Valencia has admitted that having the famous number 7 on his back weighed heavily on his mind last season, and probably did affect his performances. Having reverted back to his favoured 25 this year, looks to be getting back to his best, and his partnership with Rafael has shades of the old Beckham-Neville partnership of old. Needs to gain consistency over a long period of games though, and work on his final ball. Stay

Nani: Possibly the most frustrating player I have ever seen play for Manchester United. Immensely naturally talented, Nani has as much talent as you could ever wish to see, and when he has a good game he tears defences to pieces, but so often doesn’t perform as well as we know he can. Nani is very much a confidence player who needs a long run in the team, but his performances just havn’t warranted it. If Moyes gets offered £20m for him, I really hope he takes it and ends the torture, but unfortunately I don’t think he will, given that he somehow earned himself a new 5 year contract. Leave. I would love to see someone like Angel Di Maria join as a replacement, or Lucas Romero from PSG might be worth a bet.

Ashley Young: Another terrifically talented player, who can win matches on his own, but whose performances over the last few seasons just have not been good enough on a consistent basis. Young’s game is very one-dimensional and defenders are just stopping him from cutting inside on his favoured right foot, so unless he develops a way of dealing with this, and quickly, his days as a Red Devil are surely numbered. Leave. Javier Pastore from PSG would be a great signing to replace Young, and he is supposedly unsettled at PSG, or Adam Lallana from Southampton.

Adnan Januzaj: This boy will be world-class. If he keeps working hard and developing in the way we expect, then United have potentially got themselves another Ronaldo. He is THAT good. To have the impact that he has had, on the biggest stage of all at Old Trafford, as a teenager, is astonishing. So often looks the most dangerous player for the champions, and will only get better. Developing Januzaj to fulfil his potential has to be one of Moyes’ top priorities. Stay.

Wilfried Zaha: Very good player, Zaha has everything you could want in a young winger, and his performances for Palace last season were excellent. But he needs game time to develop, and under Moyes he just isn’t getting any at the Theatre of Dreams. A loan move in January to any of a number of interested Premier League clubs is surely the best thing for all concerned. Leave (on loan).

Bebe: I don’t even need to say anything. Get rid. Quickly. Leave. No need to replace him, just please get him off our books.

Shinji Kagawa: One of the biggest conundrums facing Moyes at the moment is how to get the Japanese international and former Bundesliga player of the year into his team and performing. Kagawa’s biggest problem is that he can’t play as one of a midfield pair until he works on his defending and work rate, and that his favoured position as a number 10 is Rooney’s position. If Moyes can get Rooney, RVP and Kagawa all on the pitch at the same time and working in harmony, without wasting any of them out wide, then United will be a real threat. Stay.

Nick Powell: A bright young star in the making, and as close to a replacement for Paul Scholes as Fergie ever found. Capable of playing in central midfield, off a striker or as the main forward, Powell has a devestating long-range shot, but with excellent passing and technical ability, and is making a real impact with Wigan at the moment, both in the championship and during their brief foray into Europe. For me, should be recalled and should play an active part in the first-team, as I thought he would from the start of the season. Stay (get recalled).

Jesse Lingard: A bright young attacking midfielder with bags of ability, Lingard was selected for the pre-season tour, and ended as top scorer with four goals in as many matches. He had hoped to break into the first team this season, but instead was sent on loan to Birmingham, where he has really impressed and has 6 goals from his 13 league games. Stay.

Larnell Cole: Cole was an integral part of the U21’s victory in the Barclays Under-21 Premier League last year, with notable contributions including a hat-trick against arch-rivals Liverpool in the semi-final, and two goals in the final as part of the remarkable come back against Spurs. At the age of 20, needs another year or two to develop before I would expect to see too much of him in the first-team, but no doubt he will get there eventually. Stay.

Strikers

Wayne Rooney: Rooney is Manchester United’s best player, just as he is England’s best player. The difference is that at United last season, he became the number 2 behind RVP and he didn’t deal with it well. This season he is back performing to the level we all know he is capable of, and if he and Van Persie play together in the majority of games, United will win games. Since RVP joined, him and Rooney have started 28 games together, with 22 victories and only 1 loss. Absolutely vital part of the team, and under no circumstances should he leave. Stay.

Robin Van Persie: Top scorer last season, and sealed the title with a superb hat-trick against Villa, scoring his best goal of the season in the process, a goal which demonstrated exactly how devastating his partnership with Wayne Rooney could be. Without RVP last year, United probably don’t win the title, and with all of his injury issues this year, he is badly badly missed up front by the champions. Stay.

Danny Welbeck: Another player who, like Cleverley, is loved and appreciated by other players and managers alike, but not by fans. Often forced to play out wide and do a job for the team, has got his chance in his favoured position this season due to RVP’s injuries. Finally it looks like he has found his shooting boots, and the goals have started to come, resulting in Moyes setting him a target for the year of 20. Vital part of the post-RVP era at Old Trafford. Stay.

Javier Hernandez: A goal-poacher of the Michael Owen variety, whose partnership with Rooney before Van Persie joined could at times be electric, but he has really struggled to make his mark this season on the league. Seems to be resigned to the super-sub role, but looks to be lacking confidence and is missing some chances that normally he would snaffle without question. You have to feel that if United want to improve their options going forward then the Mexican is the one striker that is ‘expendable’. Leave. No need to buy a replacement necessarily.

Angelo Henriquez: Henriquez is a player of whom great things are expected, but who has never been given the chance at United and who struggled to make an impact on loan at Wigan last season. Lightning quick, with a real nose for goal, could be moved up to have more chances next season in the first team. One to watch. Stay.

Federico Macheda: When the Italian burst onto the scene at Old Trafford with that terrific last-gasp goal against Aston Villa, expectations for the young man rose spectacularly. Seemingly unable to cope with this, his form plummeted for both the first team and the youth team. Now out on loan and unlikely to ever play a part with the first team again. Leave.

Conclusion

In summary, I would like to see: Varela, Macheda, Hernandez, Fabio, Evans, Ferdinand, Evra, Buttner, Lindegaard, Young, Nani, Anderson, Giggs and Bebe leave the club on a permanent basis, with Giggs and Ferdinand moving into coaching roles, with Zaha getting a loan away. A squad overhaul of this magnitude is clearly going to be expensive, but the Glazers will back Moyes to do what he needs to do to get the squad back to where it should be. But has he got the self-confidence to do it and really stamp his mark on the squad? We will wait and see.

Oh, and can someone please tell me why on earth Gary Neville hasn’t been approached to join Moyes’ backroom staff?!?! Surely that is just a logical step! He has stated his desire to come back and work with the team, so why has he not been given the chance?? Okay, mini rant over.

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