Manchester United latest defeat to Leicester City at the king Power Stadium highlights the team’s defensive woes.
The club may have spent a lot during the summer transfer window but they have been criticised for not addressing a major issue of the defence.
Manchester United manager is presently with Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Jonny Evans, Marcos Rojo, Luke Shaw, Rafael Da Silva, Tyler Blackett and probably Antonio Valencia as defenders.
A clean sheet against Burnley and QPR gave the fans so much hope about the defence and many would have thought the issue was hyped.
Leicester clearly showed what could be Manchester United downfall this season.
Evans seems like the best defender in Manchester United presently with Chris Smalling having a stunted growth and his performance against Leicester showed he is far from been a defender that can be trusted.
Jonny Evans started the season with numerous mistakes but seem to be getting back to that level which he was some years back.
Chris Smalling and Phil Jones on the other hand are still much more like the same players they were several years back.
Although it may be a difficult task asking them to play at the top level but a sign of growth can’t even be noticed in their play which is a major source of concern for the manager.
Tyler Blackett is definitely not too young and has shown a bit of his abilities but he lacks the experience and his ability to study the game is low.
He proved this during the tie at the King Power stadium where he practically left Vardy onside for the fourth goal and also brought him down for a penalty which saw him been sent off.
This issue is clearly a big source of concern for Manchester United.
Tyler Blackett’s sending off may be a blessing in disguise with United needing a leader in the centre back position.
Marcos Rojo may not be exceptional, Vidic wasn’t when he joined United and the Argentina defender should be drafted into the Centre half and Luke Shaw should be given the chance to play the left back position.
Playing with defenders like Demichelis, Zabaleta and Garay at the world cup would have added more to the experience of Rojo and he should be the main man in the centre half for Manchester United in my opinion.
Luke Shaw who did averagely well in the EPL last season should be given the chance to claim his place at the left back position.
Rojo’s lack of pace was obviously exposed in the last game clearly showing he is just a make shift left back.
The Manchester United board shouldn’t be questioned for not getting a defender in my opinion because they need a good leader in a player like Matt Hummels and Dortmund’s refusal to sell is the sad part of the story.
It’s better to wait one more year to get a strong leading centre back than buy a defender of Smalling, Jones or Evans’ calibre.
It will get better under Louis Van Gaal and the defenders only need to be tougher and stronger than they were against Leicester and Manchester United will probably still make the top four.
