Manchester United will go to the USA leg of their pre-season full of confidence after winning away at Rangers in their second pre-season game.
Players are slowly returning and more should be back for the tour but in the meantime, it has allowed youngsters and fringe players to stake a claim.
While players like Amad, who were already a part of the first team but not starters, have given the manager a headache now, youngsters like Toby Collyer have staked their claim to get to the first team.
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The defensive midfielder was widely tipped to be the next breakout star from the academy and his performances haven’t tempered any expectations.
After his second consecutive 45 minutes vs Rangers, he is already fixing Ten Hag’s biggest problem at United last season.
Toby Collyer is a machine
Ten Hag had displayed his trust in the player’s abilities after he made him the captain vs Rosenborg for the second half.
That sign went a step further vs Rangers, where he was part of undoubtedly the “first XI”, which consisted of every first-team player in the first half.
In both games, Collyer was a ball-winning machine, sitting at the base of midfield, keeping it simple, and sweeping up in front of the defence.
Against Rosenborg, United were under huge pressure so he didn’t stray far away from his position and kept nicking the ball off of the opponents.
His role changed against Rangers when United had more of the ball, so he switched to metronome mode, completing 100% of his 18 passes and being a recovery machine as usual.
In doing so, his playing style is already fixing the biggest problem at United last season- being overrun in midfield during moments of transition.
Last season, United’s midfield was often nowhere to be seen as the opponents cut through them like a hot knife through butter.
Casemiro’s defensive discipline was questioned many times but it also seemed like a structural issue because when Sofyan Amrabat or Christian Eriksen played, the situation wasn’t much better.
In Collyer, they now have precisely the kind of player who will be there when the opponent comes at the team on transitions.
He is not one to go roaming around to look for the ball and crash the box for goalscoring opportunities. Instead, he is extremely disciplined positionally. There were many instances in these two pre-season games where he stopped opponents’ counter-attacks by just staying true to his position.
He might need to start doing more with the ball to stake a regular claim for the first team but for now, his functional-over-flashy approach is exactly what United have been missing.
Perfect season for breaking through
Collyer will be encouraged by the fact that this is the perfect season for a youngster to break through. That is because United are playing in the Europa League, where the group stage fixtures at least, should give Ten Hag a chance to rotate.
Add to that early-stage Carabao Cup games and FA Cup fixtures, and there should be plenty of opportunities till January.
Ten Hag already looks like he rates his talent and potential. With Casemiro and Christian Eriksen having one foot out of the exit door, and interest aplenty in Scott McTominay, the path is clear for a midfield breakthrough. Manuel Ugarte’s style of play is similar to Collyer’s so he will have a mentor to learn from too if the Uruguayan is signed, as has been reported.
It will be up to Collyer to then grab the chance by the scruff of its neck and make a first-team berth his own. He only needs to look at Kobbie Mainoo for inspiration.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/iTQ1K90