Which United Stars Will Be On The Plane To Brazil?

Which United Stars Will Be On The Plane To Brazil?
Date: 3rd April 2014 at 5:48pm
Written by:

wayne-rooney-new-white-kit

With the Premier League season wrapping up, all eyes will soon turn to the World Cup in Brazil.

Manchester United’s poor season isn’t likely to affect a number of player’s hopes of going to Brazil but some will be feeling the pressure ahead of the announcement of the 23 man squad at the start of June.

Whilst Roy Hodgson will say nobody’s place on the plane is certain, there will be a number of players who, injury permitting, will already be on the England manager’s list.

One of those players is our own Wayne Rooney who has sparked back to life after an indifferent season last term. With 17 goals for United he is back to looking like himself, especially important at this point in time with Robin Van Persie out injured.

He has also chipped in with his share of assists too, showcasing the differing roles in which he can be utilised by Hodgson.

Speaking of versatility, Danny Welbeck is another player who shouldn’t make any plans this summer.

The 23 year old showed both the good and bad points of his game against Bayern Munich this week, stretching their backline and making a nuisance of himself with his strength and pace. It isn’t the first time either, putting in a similar shift against Real Madrid last season but where he scored a memorable goal at the Bernabeu, he was guilty of a bad miss when put clean through with Manuel Neuer on Tuesday. Whilst his finishing may need work, the fact he can play out wide as well as central, his power, pace and his work rate mean he is likely to be on the plane too.

Now here is where it gets sticky.

Manchester United’s midfield has long been a talking point for the wrong reasons, so the likes of Michael Carrick and Tom Cleverley may not be to everyone’s liking. Carrick has had a poor season in comparison to last year but his ability to retain possession, shield the back four as well as play defence splitting passes going forward could see him get the nod, even if he wasn’t to Hodgson’s liking when it came to selecting a squad for Euro 2012.

Cleverley has a lot more work to do to ensure his place though.

A favourite of Hodgson previously, the 24 year old has struggled at times this season and could see his place in midfield usurped by a number of up and coming stars in the England set up.

The victim of an online campaign to ensure he doesn’t go to Brazil, Cleverley faces a very real chance of remaining back in England if he doesn’t begin to impress.

In defence the young duo of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones both benefit from England’s lack of center back options as well as their ability to play in other positions, with Smalling a competent right back if needed and Jones capable of performing at right back and in central midfield.

Everyone bar Phil Jones was named in Hodgson’s most recent squad, so should feel confident of a place but other’s clearly more confident than others!

England’s World Cup kicks off on the June 14th against Italy and hopefully all 6 players will be on the plane. Despite all the furore surrounding the new England shirt, be sure to get behind our boys if they get picked and support them as you would if they were in the red of the United shirt!