Tuesday, 13 February 2018

JUST IN: Manchester United Found New Right Back to Succeed Antonio Valencia


Man Utd manager Jose Mourinho is in need of a new right back to succeed Antonio Valencia.



To twist an old cliche, Manchester United increasingly look like a team of two halves.

Against Newcastle, United's front six boasted four players signed by Jose Mourinho while the other two, Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard , continue to develop under his tutelage.



But the back four that started at St James' Park were all signed by Sir Alex Ferguson. And they were all part of the squad that was considered stale and in need of rebuilding when United's legendary manager departed close to five years' ago.

Eric Bailly is injured while Luke Shaw, now set to be offered a new long-term contract, was inexplicably benched for Ashley Young. But it remains a frightening statistic.

United have invested at left-back and in the centre, but the right-back slot remains occupied by Antonio Valencia, who turns 33 this summer and was signed as a winger to replace Cristiano Ronaldo.

And the lack of options means he is untouchable.


The left-back slot has received much of the attention in the transfer gossip columns, but it is on the opposite flank where United have a real problem to solve.

Matteo Darmian is expected to be off in the summer and truly elite options at the position are few, meaning a foray into the transfer market is not necessarily going to be a quick fix.

But United may already have identified the solution as a man who is already on the books.

Timothy Fosu-Mensah made his senior debut under Louis van Gaal as a full-back, and while he played as a central defender and midfielder in his youth, his body of work as a right-back is growing.

Rather than seek a loan move on the continent, Fosu-Mensah has embraced the challenge of a Premier League relegation scrap at Crystal Palace.

It has not all been smooth sailing - he has twice apologised for poor results in recent weeks - but his attitude and mentality match the demands of top tier sport.

He has survived the sacking of the manager who signed him and continues to impress fans at Selhurst Park with his performances, the majority of which have come at right-back.



The Dutchman has made ten appearances there from the start, compared with six at centre back.

His Man of the Match performance against Manchester City came on the right hand side against Leroy Sane, who has spent the season giving his opponents sleepless nights with speed, skill and trickery.

But Fosu-Mensah's clever positioning and accurate tackling kept him in check to such a degree he was forced to swap wings with Bernardo Silva.

It will not have gone unnoticed by Mourinho.

Fosu-Mensah has the physical build he admires in his full-backs, and this loan spell is proving he has the tenacity and skill to survive in the Premier League.

The 20-year-old's favourite position is in midfield, where United also have a vacancy.

But Mourinho has proved reluctant to use the academy graduate in the engine room and that has held true at Palace.

So much of a young footballer's progression is down to opportunity.

Valencia's age, the dearth of available, top level right-backs on the open market and United's need to address other areas of the squad this summer could hand Fosu-Mensah his.

A year of being the primary back up to his Ecuadorian teammate, which would also afford Valencia the chance to have additional rest as his body starts to slow down, would leave Fosu-Mensah in the best possible position to take over full-time.

And the defence can have a chance to catch up with a rapidly evolving attack as Mourinho plots an assault on the Premier League title next season.

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