The next contender is current midfield maestro and goalscorer Phil Jones. He has been far and away the standout player for me this season, as although he often looks like he may not know what is going on, his footballing mind is always working, as he ticks all the boxes for a perfect centre half. He has pace, height and experience, as he can position himself exceptionally well, as well as have an exciting roam forward when opportunity presents itself. The advantage of him being English as well fills me with hope, as with him and Smalling at the same club, the future looks bright for the white of England. For Manchester United he has performed well in whatever position asked, however he longs to be dropped back into his favoured central defensive role.
This could be the perfect opportunity, as Ferdinand and Jones would work well together. Unfortunately for his chances, the fact he has performed so comprehensively in a depleted midfield suggests that Sir Alex Ferguson will be very hesitant to withdraw him from that, as why fix what isn’t broken. Unfortunately the side as a whole is currently broken, therefore a brave decision like this may pay dividends for the squad, taking them back above City once more, where they will aim to stay.
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The less said about the Champion’s League dropout the better, and I feel defensively there are a number of options. With Smalling performing admirably on the right, I feel it would be wrong to undo all his hard work and ask him to perform a different role. Jonny Evans, although of a high standard and someone who wouldn’t look out of place in the first team of Tottenham or even Aston Villa, isn’t quite reliable enough to secure the first team spot for United. Arguably the best option would be to drop Phil Jones, back into his favoured central defensive role. This will allow Sir Alex to bring in, wait for it, Darren Fletcher into the central midfield role temporarily until Cleverley and Anderson return from their injuries.
This will balance the midfield better as Carrick and Jones were often defensive minded when playing together, however Fletcher would provide a more ‘Box To Box’ midfielder role, preventing gaps appearing around the pitch, and allowing Carrick more space to prove doubters wrong, and show off his credentials. This is an opportunity for the players, young and old, to prove their worth at United, showing fans from all over the world that they deserve to be there. Otherwise, when the injury list is much shorter, the likes of Anderson, Cleverley and Vidic will take back the place that they worked so hard for, leaving the others praying for another opportunity in the future.
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