Three Replacements For Under-Performing Manchester United Stars

As United have endured a tough start to the Premier League season, some of the blame must be aimed at few players who haven’t quite been pulling their weight this season.

 As the January window is nearing by, we will try to explore three players who might change the Red Devils’ fortune during the second half of the season.

Leighton Baines for Patrice Evra

Baines is not one of the best left-backs in the world, and it would be hard to see him succeed in one of Europe’s top leagues outside of England, but then again, it is much of the same with Patrice Evra. The Frenchman is although effective in going forward is reckless at times when defending and his tackles are often mistimed, the main reason for his rather embarrassing yellow and red card rate. Baines meanwhile seems like a more cool-headed player. He is also one of the best crossers in the Premier League and can pop up with the odd spectacular free-kick, making him one of the best left-backs the Premier League has to offer.

Now at the age of 28, Baines is no youngster and will not do a great deal when it comes to the goal of lowering the squad’s average age, but he is very much in the prime of his career, and it seems he will be in the same form for at least another 3 years to come. However, Roberto Martinez will try to avoid such a situation, and if the left-back does come pushing to shove the former Wigan man with a transfer request, he will still be a pricey option for David Moyes.

Sebastian Rode for Tom Cleverley

Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Sebastian Rode has become another of Germany’s top young midfielders. He is the German’s midfield organiser and is as useful in defence as he is in attack. At 22-years old, he still has a long, glittering career path to follow. One of the big reasons why Eintracht were challenging for a Champions League place for most of last season, a big price-tag usually follows big performances, but if David Moyes was willing to waste £27.5m on Marouane Fellaini, he should not hesitate to spend a few bucks on Rode, and hope that the youngster doesn’t get a “flop” tag that the Belgian is currently having.

However, the biggest doubting point is not whether he would fit into the United system, or whether the Red Devils have the financial power to buy another midfielder, but Rode can certainly be a better option to look at when compared with the likes of Cleverley and Anderson.

Alejandro Arribas for Rio Ferdinand

Alejandro Arribas is now 24, which means that he is now in his first season of no longer being classed as a young player, but with his wonderful displays and ability to get out of trouble, you would be convinced he was 5 years older. The Osasuna man averages, 7.6 clearances per game this season, which is a respectable figure in the La Liga.

This in large part was responsible for Osasuna’s fantastic defensive record at the start of the season, conceding only 4 goals in their first 15 games. Rio Ferdinand meanwhile is beyond his glory days with injuries and fitness taking a toll on the former England international, and must be replaced.