Season Ratings: The Defence
Sir Alex has again spoken of the rejuvenating power of youth and confirmed that rising star Jonny Evans will be given every chance to stake his claim to a first team place next season.
“The manager has made it clear that I won’t be going out on loan again,” Evans informed the Belfast Telegraph. “I’ll be back at United and we’ll see what happens. I’ll be involved in pre-season and he has more or less said that I will get games.
“I am a Manchester United fan and it has been my aim since I signed for the club to get into the first team. The incentive is there for me now and I want to be good enough to be playing for United.”
Gerard Pique will share the same sentiment having received similar assurances from the manager.
So, if Fergie seems certain of United’s youthful promise, whom among the senior professionals is set to lose the manager’s favour?
AbsolutelyUNITED looks at the evidence of last term’s performances and gives its verdict.
The Goalkeepers
Edwin Van Der Sar
Appearances: 47
Goals: 0
The goalkeeper was steady performer in the first half of the season, helping United towards a rare meanness at the back which helped build momentum towards the title. Sir Alex was appreciative and a contract extension was offered.
Then a collision with Robbie Keane at White Hart Lane, which caused him to leave the field of play with a broken nose, seemed to bring uncertainty to the Dutchman’s game. Supporters will argue that this period coincided with a run of injuries which removed from the rearguard the most familiar elements of security. Nevertheless, a calamitous parry in Rome gifted Roma a second goal after United had done well to fight their way back to equality.
A similar error against Portsmouth added to the gloom. Safe hands Van Der Sar was no more. His gaffes could not have been less well timed with Ben Foster’s reputation soaring after a successful loan spell at Watford.
Van Der Sar isn’t Barthez but some of the lustre has gone. He needs to find his game again and looks to have every opportunity so to do, now that Foster has been struck by United’s injury curse. The keeper’s decision to remain a contender for the Netherlands in the run up to next season’s European Championships suggests he should not be written off just yet.
AU Rating: 7.5/10
Sale Rating : 3/10
Tomasz Kuszczak
Appearances: 12
Goals: 0
The Polish keeper joined United on loan from West Brom last summer. The deal was a surprise to many, as United didn’t look in need of another stopper and a losing relegation battle was an unimpressive credential for an elite football power.
Kuszczak has shown that he is a competent shotstopper but also that at this stage in his carer development, he is not United class. His FA cup outing on the Riverside at Middlesbrough was the most damning evidence yet of a keeper with woeful judgment of crosses and one who lacks the authority to command his penalty area.
No excuses should be made. United should not take up the option to sign Kuszczak permanently. But injury to Foster leaves Ferguson with no choice but to soldier on with the Pole, rather than send him out on loan.
Kuszczak is delighted. “I am not leaving Manchester United,” the 25 year old said. “I’ve no interest in joining another club. I want to stay here and fight and prove I’m good enough to do this.”
AU Rating: 4/10
Sale Rating : 4.5/10
…
The Defenders
Gary Neville
Appearances: 33
Goals: 0
Neville was dependable as always and has made the right back position his own for club and country for the last decade. What an achievement!
Troubled all year by a calf injury which haunted him since the World Cup, Neville was in and out of the first team, until. a block tackle by Gary Speed in the home match against Bolton made it definite and left the skipper unable to play any part in United’s end of season charge.
Rumours suggest Sir Alex may finally be looking at potential successors but a good pre-season and better luck should see the captain through another year.
AU Rating: 7.5/10
Sale Rating : 1/10 ( Is 0 allowed?)
Rio Ferdinand
Appearances: 50
Goals: 1
The Londoner had his best season yet in red and saw his profile rise ever higher. Ferdinand, castigated in the past for his wandering attention, was a defender reborn. As serious as his shaven head, Rio was all about concentration this term, except for an off-night against Celtic and even found his goal touch. A fabulous strike against Liverpool did much to cement an improving reputation.
Off the field, Ferdinand’s elder statesman status and ghetto credentials made him a prized interview for every hack and prankster looking for a footballer’s insight into anything from homosexual attraction to youth crime. Hob-knobbing with the Home Secretary was proof of a raised profile. What next? A panellist on Question Time? Anchoring his own television show?
On the field, Ferdinand found his Sol Campbell in Nemanja Vidic. The pairing was instrumental in ensuring United were competitive even in games when the team played poorly. Ferdinand was the rock upon which United’s unlikely win at Anfield was built.
Crucially, Ferdinand remained fit until limping out of the FA Cup semi-final. His injury could not have been less well-timed. United missed his authority and composure against Middlesbrough and Milan. Rarely embarrassed and regularly praised, Ferdinand did his job well last year. More of the same next term please.
AU Rating: 8.5/10
Sale Rating : 3/10
Nemanja Vidic
Appearances: 38
Goals: 4
The big Serb was the breakthrough performer of the season at Old Trafford. A veritable monster at the back, Vidic was everything United have lacked since Jaap Stam was prevented from completing his kitchen redecoration by a swift, inexplicable move to Milan.
Strong, aggressive and let it be said, a mean player on the field, Vidic brought a toughness and dedication to United’s defending which earned the rearguard its ‘fortress United’ boast. He scores too, making United a much more dangerous proposition from corners and free kicks.
Perhaps, the rigours of a 60-plus game season finally caught up with the centre-half in his first full year at Old Trafford. Vidic seemed off the pace at Anfield and broke a collar bone on the last day of March, when falling in the penalty area against Blackburn. Miraculously, Vidic was back in the United side on 3 May for the vain attempt to detach Milan from a place in the Champions League final.
Vidic may suffer for his all-action style. He was injured on the eve of the World Cup and again almost a year later on United duty. His priority next year must be to retain his form and stay fit throughout an entire campaign. This is all the more important, given that Sir Alex is set to welcome back Gerard Pique, a young defender tested in Spain and desperate for a first team chance.
AU Rating: 8.5/10
Sale Rating : 3/10
Patrice Evra
Appearances: 36
Goals: 2
In a squad of star performers, Evra emerged as its greatest revelation.
Few fans can forget how truly terrible Evra seemed when setting out on his Premiership adventure, yet the fullback did not shrink from the challenge of conquering his doubters and succeeded gloriously.
Did Evra drink nothing but Guinness and milk during the pre-season? The international’s physical transformation was as impressive as his application when defending.
However, Evra spoiled his season’s reviews with some comic defending against Milan in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final. As the season drew to its conclusion, Evra looked worn out.
Curiously, Sir Alex interest in new Spurs recruit Gareth Bale, suggested that reservations remain about Evra’s longevity in the United team. Indeed, the player gives mixed signals too about wanting to remain in England.
However, until United find a fullback with equal speed, goal threat, natural intelligence when going forward and defensive reliability, Evra will continue as the first pick.
AU Rating: 7/10
Sale Rating : 5/10
Wes Brown
Appearances: 36
Goals: 0
The defender is at a crossroads in his United career.
Brown has his qualities but is always liable to make one important mistake in a game. The way he stood off Manuel Fernandes to allow the Everton player sufficient time to send an unstoppable shot past Van Der Sar and put United two goals behind in the match at Goodison Park, was another reminder of his failings.
That said, Brown was much better against superior opposition in the FA Cup final, supporting the theory that he performs well when lining up alongside top class players. When United look to the defender to hold the line and lead by example, Brown is lost.
AU Rating: 6/10
Sale Rating : 6.5/10
Gabriel Heinze
Appearances: 37
Goals: 1
The decline of the Argentine should be a cautionary tale for flavours of the month everywhere. Life was sweet at the end of Heinze’s first year at United. Popularly acclaimed for his reliability and commitment, Heinze seemed to have navigated with ease the step up from French football.
Then injury struck, followed by an injudiciously rapid return to the national team in time for last year’s world cup. It’s been downhill ever since.
Heinze lost his place to Evra at fullback and looked shaky when called into the first team. His limited opportunities at leftback are matched by his inability to dislodge either Vidic or Rio at centre-half, leaving the defender out in the cold.
Clearly, Real Madrid appear to have been watching old tapes of the player’s performances and are poised for another raid of the Old Trafford ranks. Did someone say feeder club?
AU Rating: 5 /10
Sale Rating : 9/10
Mikael Silvestre
Appearances: 21
Goals: 1
Despite having lost his first team place on the back of some legendary defensive mishaps – Stamford Bridge, April 2006, for example - Silvestre is still a member of the squad and in no hurry to give up the Red dream.
“I think my future is bright,” said the Frenchman. “I have two years left on my contract and I’m looking forward to it. There’s enough room for me to express myself next season.”
With Heinze schmoozing with the suits at Real Madrid ahead of a rumoured £5 million deal, perhaps the manager will agree. That would be a shame. Silvestre’s time has past at Old Trafford.
AU Rating: 5/10
Sale Rating : 7.5/10
READ: Part One - Midfield Review
READ: Attack Review
