Michael Carrick has confirmed the return of Noussair Mazraoui for the Leeds game, but the true game-changing return is set to come off the bench.
As it stands right now, Michael Carrick needs all the help he can get after a start to the season that has seen just two wins from the first nine games.
Help is particularly needed at left-back, especially if Luke Shaw is not back for the game. Even though Ayden Heaven did well against Atletico, Carrick would like to have more options.
Noussair Mazraoui is set to return vs Leeds, as confirmed by Carrick, but the true game-changing return is already in the works, with the player set to come off the bench,
Michael Carrick could finally bring on Matthijs de Ligt
The board undoubtedly let Carrick down in the summer, but he has also been remarkably unlucky with injuries at a position that was the thinnest.
Patrick Dorgu, Luke Shaw, and Noussair Mazraoui got injured at the same time, so it’s sensible to consider Mazraoui’s return as a monumental one.
Having said that, many have forgotten just how imperious Matthijs de Ligt was looking before this injury stole a year from his career.
De Ligt was genuinely on his way to becoming the best centre-back in the league, and particularly this season, United have needed quality in their defence.
Lisandro Martinez was error-prone even before the cloud of uncertainty around his remarks, and Harry Maguire is not getting any younger.
De Ligt has finally come back on the bench recently, but Carrick hasn’t called on his services, as he tries to build up his return slowly and carefully.
Against Leeds is the perfect time to bring him off the bench and start the road to his full return, because the intensity of that game will require a change in the defence as the game continues.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin is a handful, and for De Ligt, it will be a good first game back if he tackles the threat of such a player right away and tests himself off the bench.
If De Ligt manages to find the version of himself that was imperious before his injury, then United will suddenly feel a lot more comfortable letting Maguire leave and commit to a proper rebuild next season.
De Ligt will spearhead that rebuild as the leader of that defence, and United might finally claim to have one of the best CBs in the league.
Mazraoui’s return is a more immediate help, but De Ligt’s return is transformative long-term.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/59N7SVF