The thing about having a blog is that anything you say can and will be used against you.
Whilst it is a catalogue of your occasional pearls of wisdom and correct predictions, it also documents your ‘egg on the face’ moments and I will hold my hands up and say yes I have had one recently.
Our signings this summer have been brilliant. Whilst their bedding in times have differed, David De Gea, Phil Jones and Ashley Young have all showed that they are of the standard required to be United players whether it is for sustained spells or in brief glimpses.
There are few fans who would complain about any of the 3 having seen them in action, but this wasn’t the case a few months earlier.
I haven’t been convinced by Ashley Young, whilst a good player I’m not sure if he is for us. We already have wide players and even in his secondary striker role we could employ Rooney there behind Hernandez or Berbatov.
The fee of £25m being quoted is obviously incorrect but if that is the fee that is further reason for us to turn up our noses at such a deal.
These are my own words from back in April and reading over them now they seem pretty foolish considering Young has been one of our best players this season.
Following the Community Shield win over Man City former Arsenal defender Martin Keown remarked,
“Ashley Young impressed me and looked like he had been playing in that United team for months, not making his debut.”
And he couldn’t be closer to the truth. One of the most remarkable things about Ashley Young’s brief but bright spell at the club is how at home he looks. Of course he has the benefit of having played and been around a number of the players at international level but even with this familiarity he looks so comfortable in a United shirt.
With 2 goals and 6 assists it is hard to fathom how someone would argue against his presence in the team let alone at Old Trafford as he has taken to being at United like a duck to water and it is not just that he has slotted into the team so well either.
In the same interview Martin Keown made another observation,
‘He looks such an improved player.’
That was one of my primary concerns when his name was first mentioned in connection with us. I looked at him like an Aston Villa and dismissed the notion of him rising to the challenge of becoming United quality but having seen Antonio Valencia make the step up the season prior, it wasn’t an impossible notion that a player like Young, who is arguably more talented and versatile , could do the same.
I won’t make out like he was a poor player and all of a sudden he has come good but undoubtedly the levels of his performance have risen. His display against Arsenal was the embodiment of all he can do as he took players on, beat them and got the ball as well as cutting inside to devastating effect. Creating and scoring goals, despite Rooney’s hat trick there was a strong argument for Young being man of the match and depending on what publication you read he was awarded with the accolade.
In the current scheme of things it appears as Young has firmly secured his position in the team and the it is a battle between Nani and Valencia for a position on the opposite flank. His partnership and apparent ‘bromance’ (I hate that word) with Rooney seems to grow with each game. He fits in perfectly with this dynamic new style of ours so I guess the only thing now is for me to issue a grovelling apology and, if you’ll kindly allow, jump on the Young bandwagon!
you are right young is a good player and for sure he is better then nani but not valencia therefore
i cant wait to see them together from the opposite sides of united wides
A new slogan could be: “you’re never to old to cheer for Young” 😉
Seriously, this missed prediction can’t be as bad as when you thought Stephen Ireland would be a good addition.
Oh well, let bygones be bygones. I’m sure I have a few comments I wouldn’t mind being striken from the record.
Haha I stand by Ireland! He could have been good even if he seems to have fallen off the face of the earth!
Still on Ireland eh? I’m going to have major suspicions the next time I read your assessment of a player! You do quite well with the German players though.
Out of curiousity, I looked up the original post in question, and I must say I was somewhat prophetic though I did backpeddle a bit at the end. See it below, and next time I’ll have to charge!
“It seems virtually every United fan is against Young joining, but I’m open to the idea (though not set on it). Many say that he has good but not great quality; but I’d counter and say playing for Villa has a glass ceiling over what you can prove. Honestly, who here was sincerely impressed with Valencia when he was at Wigan?
I wouldn’t see it as an extravagant purchase because he can play as a winger and supporting striker, along with plugging into various formations. Any new addition would inevitably affect current members of the squad, but I don’t see him directly pushing anyone out of a particular spot. Moreover, Nani is currently our only winger who can individually cut through defenses. Out depth at wings is a bit overstated, and I don’t know how well prepared we are if Nani suffered an injury.
All that said, I’m not necessarily sold on him either. It’s too bad the Euro is a year away, because it would be interesting to see what he could do over several games playing alongside world-class players.”
I should be exempt from player criticism after highlighting Ozil and Ganso but I will hold my hands up and say in hindsight suggesting Ireland was more than a bit crazy!
Your assertions are normally correct so I’m not surprised to be honest!
”Apology accepted”…Young is a fantastic player with non-selfish attitude,seriousness & hard working.I hope his form continue so that United could have the brightest start to the season in years!