Did Jose Mourinho’s fringe stars show enough signs of life at the Vitality Stadium to save their Man United careers

Matt Jones - Editor 08:27 19/04/2018
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  • Manchester United head to Wembley for their most important game of the season on Saturday, with the raucous sound of Manchester City’s title triumph, as well as the laughter following the comical way in which it was handed to them by the Red Devil’s meek loss to West Brom on Sunday, ringing in their ears.

    The words of Jose Mourinho following that awful display will also have been heard very loudly by United’s under-performing stars, who bounced back in Wednesday’s 2-0 win against Bournemouth.

    The manager said after the Baggies game that he had already decided to omit some of them from the side that face Tottenham in the FA Cup semi-final, while vowing that some ‘phenomenal’ performers at the Vitality Stadium would even earn a place in his Wembley team.

    Here, Matt Jones looks at some of United’s fringe players whose futures might be on the line against Spurs and in the remaining games, and assesses whether they should remain at Old Trafford next season.

    MATTEO DARMIAN

    Is probably the player whose future at United is most at threat, having been restricted to just 196 league minutes of football this season.

    A Louis van Gaal signing, Darmian is clearly not a favourite of Mourinho, with the Italy international playing just 13 games in all competitions this season, compared to 29 last term and 39 in his debut campaign – though he has managed to record an impressive pass success rate of 85.9 per cent.

    In fairness to the AC Milan academy graduate, he is predominantly played at left-back, despite being right-footed, but he has increasingly looked out of his depth – worryingly so in United’s 4-0 win against Yeovil Town in the FA Cup on January 26.

    Came to England with such promise after four fine years at Torino, including a stunning season in 2014/15 that yielded five goals in 47 appearances.

    Enjoyed a decent first campaign in Manchester the following year, including a memorable goal – his only one for United – in a 2-0 league win over Crystal Palace. Ironically scored with his left foot.

    Should he be a United player next season: NO

    Matteo Darmian

    DALEY BLIND

    Another Van Gaal signing, the Dutchman has been a wonderful versatile addition to the squad since arriving in 2014/15. Has only played 15 games this season in total but much of that has been due to an ankle injury.

    Recently recovered from that three-month injury lay-off and may make his first league appearance since New Year’s Day against the Cherries.

    Has only played 274 minutes of league football this term and has surprisingly not started in the Premier League since August.

    Although he has many detractors among United fans and is pilloried for not being good enough, rarely puts a foot wrong, even though his lack of pace is a big issue.

    His future at the club shouldn’t be in too much jeopardy as he’s been out for almost the entirety of 2018, while his ability to cover the centre-back, left-back and midfield positions make him a useful cog in the Mourinho machine.

    Blind’s problem is, while versatile, he’s not particularly adept at any of his positions. His height (5’ 9”) hampers him being an imposing figure in the heart of defence, while his lack of pace prevents him being an attacking full-back option – though he is an accurate crosser of the ball.

    Should he be a United player next season: YES

    Daley Blind

    LUKE SHAW

    It’s been claimed the left-back’s future at United was plunged into jeopardy following a half-time bust-up with the boss in the FA Cup win over Brighton a month ago – but his whole United career seems to have been a painfully long plunge into obscurity.

    Shaw hasn’t featured for United since being substituted at half-time in that game on March 17 – despite the fact he was having a fairly decent game.

    The 22-year-old has not been part of United’s last two matchday squads and was left on the bench for the victory against Swansea City on March 31, but he did make the trip to Bournemouth.

    Shaw has only started three Premier League matches this year and last lined up in the league against Huddersfield on February 3. Has only played seven times in the Premier League although in those appearances, he has failed to deliver one single accurate cross – with 23 inaccurate deliveries into the box.

    Much like Anthony Martial, there is undoubtedly a talented footballer in there somewhere. But for all the criticism of Mourinho’s handling of him, Shaw does not help his own cause – with diet reportedly a massive issue for the former Southampton man.

    Should he be a United player next season: YES

    LukeShawManUnited

    MAROUANE FELLAINI

    It could be a case of hair today, gone tomorrow for the big Belgian, who is said to be attracting the interests of former club Everton.

    Was a prominent fixture in the side during Mourinho’s first season but could be set for a move away following an injury-ravaged campaign.

    Fellaini made 47 appearances last term, only Marcus Rashford, Paul Pogba, Ander Herrera and Zlatan Ibrahimovic featured more times.

    This season he has featured on only 18 occasions, though he has spent significant time on the sidelines with three separate knee injuries, and has still scored as many goals (four) as in 2016/17.

    Fellaini has started only three Premier League games for United this season and his last appearance was as a late substitute against Brighton in the FA Cup.

    The 30-year-old is approaching the last two months of his United contract and is expected to leave on a free transfer in the summer. Managed just five starts in an injury-plagued campaign and in addition, has found himself out of favour since rejecting United’s offer of a new deal in September.

    Should he be a United player next season: NO

    1005 Fellaini

    ANDER HERRERA

    It’s been some fall from grace for the tenacious Spaniard – who some may have forgotten was named the club’s player of the year last season.

    But having lifted the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award following a brilliant 2016/17 campaign, something has gone drastically wrong for the Basque native this term – mainly the form of former Chelsea man Nemanja Matic.

    The Serb has been superb in United’s engine room, while Herrera has mainly been left to feed off scraps, even though he has still appeared 33 times. He made 50 appearances last season, however, only Rashford (53) and Pogba (51) had more.

    His 87 per cent pass success rate is the seventh best at United and only just behind Matic who has played 11 more games.

    A tigerish midfielder who combines craft with graft, Herrera sits fourth in most tackles recorded for United this season with 46, while his average of 2.1 tackles per game is bettered by no-one.

    When he has featured, the defensive side of his game has shone far more than his attacking prowess, which is perhaps another reason for his withdrawal into the shadows.

    His creative spark and wide passing range are his biggest attributes, something United have not see much of this term, with just two assists in the league and Europe compared to seven last year.

    Should he be a United player next season: YES

    Ander Herrera 1

    JUAN MATA

    Has survived the Mourinho regime thus far, against all odds, with many expecting the Spaniard to be the first player out of the door when the man who criticised his defensive work at Chelsea took over in 2016.

    Not only did he survive, but he thrived in Mourinho’s debut campaign, making 42 appearances in all competitions and scoring 10 goals last year for the third year in a row at Old Trafford. Has struggled badly for goals this term though, with just three so far in 37 appearances.

    Has notched four assists in the league, placing him joint fourth, while no other player in a red shirt has played more key passes than Mata’s 44 (Pogba is next on 34).

    United triggered a one-year extension in Mata’s contract in January, to ensure they would be entitled to a transfer fee from potential suitors in the summer. And even though he has survived this long, he’ll turn 30 before the end of the month and could be one of the casualties of an expected overhaul in the summer following a much improved league campaign for United.

    Should he be a United player next season: NO

    Juan Mata 1

    ANTHONY MARTIAL

    Oh what a frustrating player the Frenchman is. He is more talented than nearly the entire United squad, but the worry for Mourinho and United fans is he may never truly harness it.

    Arrived amid a baptism of fire beneath the weight of a mighty £50m price tag, fairly ludicrous considering very few had ever heard of him, but he brushed those fears aside with a phenomenal winning goal on debut against Liverpool in 2015.

    It’s been a bit of a meandering journey for Martial since then. He did bag an admirable 17 goals in 49 appearances in that debut 2015/16 campaign, but looked likely to exit last season with a paltry return of eight in 42.

    Martial and Henrikh Mkhitaryan have fallen foul of Mouinho’s wrath more than most during the Portuguese’s two-year tenure, but while Mkhitaryan’s run of form towards the end of last season – including a stellar contribution during the Europa League triumph – looked like he would push on, it is Martial who has survived with a decent return to form in 2017/18.

    Eleven goals in 41 games this term proves this, while his seven league and Champions League assists put him second at the club behind Paul Pogba. Hasn’t scored in his last 11, however, and has struggled for starts.

    Should he be a United player next season: YES

    anthony-martial

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