Everyone is very down on the Premier League champions currently but there have been some positives.
For Manchester United the transition between David Moyes taking the reigns from Sir Alex Ferguson has been a tricky one and it looks as if it could be their worst season in the Premier League era.
However, whilst there are far fewer positives for the club than they have become used to under Ferguson, to dismiss the entire campaign as a disaster would be unfair on those players that have performed well.
Whilst the likes of Tom Cleverley, Rio Ferdinand, Chris Smalling, Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young have come under severe criticism, here are five players who have actually been performing well for the Red Devils.
Jonny Evans
Club captain Nemanja Vidic has already confirmed a summer departure to Inter Milan, whilst as previously mentioned Ferdinand and Smalling have been generally woeful – with the former also expected to leave Old Trafford in the summer.
However, after nearly eight years of developing in the first team Evans now looks ready to be regular centre-back for United with some great performances this term.
Of all the five options the club have currently the Northern Irishman has been the most reliable and Moyes should consider the 26-year-old before looking to sign anyone else.
Phil Jones
Alongside Evans this utility man could well be the other half of the side’s central defensive partnership for years to come, although whether centre-back is Jones’ best position is yet to be determined.
This is because Moyes can’t seem to decide where he wants the 22-year-old, who has also filled in at right-back and in midfield as well.
Yet as a player who is tipped to be the future captain of both United and England, the next few years could be brilliant for the defensive ace.
Adnan Januzaj
At the beginning of the current campaign when everything appeared to be going wrong for the club, the 19-year-old was being relied upon to produce all things positive.
Fortunately that pressure has subsided somewhat in recent times, but after truly bursting onto the scene with a match-winning brace against Sunderland in the league, it’s clear to see why the Red Devils were moved to give Januzaj a contract of £60,000-a-week to ward off Manchester City interest.
As Moyes looks to build his own squad at the Theatre of Dreams, this winger is likely to be the focal point.
Wayne Rooney
A goal and an assist in the 0-3 victory over West Bromwich Albion on Saturday makes Rooney the first player in Premier League history to have provided 10 or more goals and assists in five different seasons.
It’s an impressive stat for the forward who has also just been made the most highly paid player in the competition’s history with eye-watering earnings of £300,000-a-week.
Yet with Rooney expected to be named Vidic’s successor as captain and with at least four more years at the top for the 28-year-old, it’s easy to see why United did this.
Danny Welbeck
The latest from the club’s prolific youth system that looks to become an established member of the starting XI and someone who plays in a more continental style than most English players.
Whilst Welbeck always possessed vision and talent, the forward was not as sharp in front of goal as many would have liked, but that has changed this term.
The strike that the 24-year-old scored against the Baggies was the attacker’s ninth in 18 league appearances so far this season.
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