Patrick Rees
The current transfer window was certainly an eye opener for most Manchester United fans. The supporters had expected a number of departures due to the new players coming in. Surprisingly, Jose Mourinho refrained from selling a lot in the window and more or less kept the squad intact.
Bastian Schweinsteiger, Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini still remain at the club despite being linked with moves away. Another player who has remained at Old Trafford is Ashley Young. The former Aston Villa star was expected to be one of the first to leave but Jose Mourinho seems to find him to be a useful squad member.
The 31-year-old was used in a number of positions by Louis van Gaal, including that of a wing-back last season and that versatility is what Mourinho likes about the Englishman. Young is a winger, first and foremost, but adaptability is the name of the game these days in football.
Playing as a wing-back is certainly a test of Young’s defensive capabilities and even though he isn’t the best in this aspect, the Englishman does provide United with a great threat in attack. His crosses are probably the best in the Manchester United team and with Zlatan Ibrahimovic leading the line, goals are a guarantee with the right service.
Prior to the start of the season, Jose Mourinho stated that there is a need for a proper team this season. The Portuguese manager also added that he needs 22 players in his team and how important squad rotation is this season.
“If they were not in my plans, I would not give them one single minute,” Mourinho told MUTV when asked about the players in his team. “I wouldn’t keep them in my squad,” he added, before concluding: “We are going to play 60 matches and you cannot do that with 11 players.”
Ashley Young too echoed the thoughts of his manager and added: “It’s a squad game – we’re playing quite a few games, as the manager has said, and everyone has got to be ready to take their chance.”
While Young might only play a few games in the Premier League campaign, his real use would be in the cup competitions. The extra games from the Europa League, League Cup and FA Cup will stretch any team’s squad but Manchester United seem to have enough cover.
This is not to say that Young is a great defender and using him in that position can lead to many issues for United. The Englishman might have pace but last season, he was exposed a number of times by the opposition. That should be a worry for Jose Mourinho, who prides himself in his immaculate defensive game.
Young isn’t a defender and should not be used as one. He might have played in that role but sticking him up front is the right way to go about things. The current Manchester United manager might still use him in the defence but that could be used as an excuse later to sell him.
This is a real test for Young; after all, Mourinho is known to take the tough decisions. He did so with Bastian at the start of the campaign and if Young does not perform well, the Englishman could be playing in the reserves as well.
Sending Young away would also provide Mourinho with a chance of bulking up the squad in the January window. Manchester United do have the money to spend and Young could be a pawn in a dangerous game of chess between Mourinho and the Manchester United board.
