Ole, Chop the Flops
If you keep putting trash in the bin it will eventually pile up and then overflow. This is exactly what has happened with Manchester United in the last few years. The club hasn’t had a clear-out since 2014 and it’s come to the point where Man City, Liverpool and Tottenham have surpassed them. I’ll even go as far as to say that Leicester and Wolves are also on the verge of exceeding them as well.
The Red Devils have accommodated far too many average Joe’s in their team for too long now so the words of of Claude Callegari from AFTV, “it’s time to go!” have never been more relevant. Here are the list of players that need to be given the boot:
Matteo Darmian
Defensively sound but offers nothing going forward. He lacks pace and in the modern game, speed is an essential ingredient for a full back. Simply put, the Italian isn’t Premier League quality.
Phil Jones
Jones reminds me of the boy in school that you put at centre-back in the playground. You play him there not because he’s good but because he’s big, strong and nothing more. Jones cannot pass, shoot, score or dribble. His technical ability along with his reading of the game are abominable; not to mention that his tackling is usually brash and hazardous and in spite of his physical assets, he fails to impose himself on strikers. Long story short, Phil Jones isn’t Man United material and is an accident waiting to happen. A harsh indictment? Perhaps, but it’s the truth.
Chris Smalling
Smalling was undeniably outstanding in 2015/16. However, instead of building on that impressive season he has regressed significantly. The man who was once dubbed ‘The new Rio Ferdinand’ still cannot hold down a place in the first team despite the fact that he has been at the club for almost a decade. Smalling falls short of the ability required in today’s Premier League in the moments when he finally does get opportunities from the manager to prove himself. His career with the club is on a countdown if he left on a high rather weltering away on the bench.
Marcos Rojo
The Argentine does a great impression of Casper because like a ghost he’s never anywhere to be seen. In fact, I can probably count on one hand how many times Rojo has played in the last year and when he does play his performances are always average at best. United can’t afford to have passengers in the team.
Ashley Young
Young has been a good servant to the club and has consistently given his best; however, his best has never been good enough and last season was a prime example of that. The newly signed Aaron Wan Bissaka and Diogo Dalot are the future right-backs and as a result, there’s no room for Young in the squad. The 34 year old should consider calling time on his career.
Juan Mata
A fan favourite but the fact of the matter is that he’s too slow and he’s beginning to age. Mata doesn’t fit the bill for the fast, high intense, attacking brand of football that United want to play.
Andreas Pereira
Pereira’s performances are consistently mediocre at best and he has never seized the opportunities that he has been given to shine. I honestly don’t think that he’s suited to the Premier League and will probably be better off in Spain, France or Italy.
Nemanja Matić
Father Time has caught up with the Serbian and as a consequence, he is no longer the imperious, dominant midfield sergeant that he was back in 2015. Matić simply doesn’t have the legs to command United’s midfield and is in serious danger of being overrun by aggressive, energetic opposition midfielders such as Fabinho, Idrissa Gueye, N’Golo Kanté and Wilfred Ndidi.
Anthony Martial
Notwithstanding the young Frenchman’s abundance of talent and skill, there are serious question marks over his attitude, commitment and work rate. These issues have been raised by Ole Gunnar Solskjær, José Mourinho and Didier Desçhamps. Sir Alex Ferguson was notorious for getting rid of his best players who had questionable attitudes and failed to give it their all. Amongst those individuals were David Beckham, Ruud van Nistelrooy; Roy Keane, Jaap Stam; Gabriel Heinze and Paul Ince. Solskjær ought to follow the example of his former manager and sell Martial because the Norwegian simply cannot afford to have players who won’t give it their all every week.
Alexis Sánchez
The Chilean has registered a grand total of 5 goals and 9 assists in just 45 appearances since joining in January 2018. This is absolutely appalling for someone earning £400,000 per week. His wages are killing the club financially as it’s preventing others from signing lucrative, long-term contracts. Ole should do what’s best for the club and offload Sánchez.
Jesse Lingard
I really get sick to death of hearing about Lingard’s “potential” from English pundits. What potential? He will be 27 years old in December for crying out loud! Talk about a player’s potential when they’re 20, not 26. Speed aside, Lingard offers very little and isn’t good enough to take United to the next level.
Romelu Lukaku
15 goals in 45 appearances last season just isn’t good enough at all. Defenders find it easy to completely nullify him due to the Belgian’s lack of intelligence along with his limited technical ability. Furthermore, he lacks consistency and is guilty of missing far too many gilt-edged chances in key moments. Rumour has it that Inter are willing to pay roughly £62.8 million for Lukaku and if this is true then United ought to cash in on him as this is a fantastic offer.
The list is very extensive but it highlights the state of the club as well as the failures of Man United’s recruitment. Thankfully, Ole recognises that the squad simply isn’t good enough and is determined to mend this broken team.
In my next article, I will write about the positions where United need to improve and who they should look to sign in order to bolster their squad.
