The five best candidates to take the armband at Manchester United.
As the new season approaches, the captains armband at Manchester United has yet to find a new home. Following Nemanja Vidic’s departure at the end of last season new boss Louis Van Gaal has yet to decide on a new skipper and time is running out for him to decide. As it stands there are five candidates that would be frontrunners to take over. Here, we have sought to highlight the five names and ponder over who would be best to lead the club forward.
Robin Van Persie
The Dutchman would be a natural choice, having served the role previously at Arsenal. Louis Van Gaal already has a good long standing relationship with the striker during their time together with the Dutch national team.
However, Van Gaal showed at the World Cup that he is not afraid to substitute the 30-year-old, who has been known to be sidelined by niggling injuries for longer that he had to, and a captain is not someone that you want to be taking off with any sort of regularity. Furthermore, Van Persie clashed with David Moyes last term, and considered moving on once things started to go sour. This will be a concern for LVG, though he won’t have to worry about the striker becoming a dissident under his stewardship.
Jonny Evans
A surprise choice, maybe, the the Norther Irish international has matured greatly over the past 18 months and has now surpassed the scapegoat status that had dogged him ever since he first broke into the first team.
However, he is still not a name to inspire confidence. Whether it is because he is still seen as an up and coming player despite being 26 now, he is not the defensive colossus that many hoped that he would be. He has displayed fine leadership qualities over the years, but many continue to regard him as a work in progress. But that said, LVG will recognise talent when he sees it, and that will likely stand Evans in good stead to inherit the duties.
Darren Fletcher
The Scotland international had looked to be down and out not long ago when a bout of Ulcerative Colitis threatened to bring a premature end to his career. However, he has bounced back and it is like he’s never been away.
Already the captain for Gordon Strachan at international level, Fletcher will be no stranger to what will be required of him for the job. However, he will need to do more to impress LGV enough to entrust the position to him. He has missed a lot of football and the game has moved on in that time, so he will need to prove that it has not completely passed him by with a long stretch in the side.
Wayne Rooney
The England star has previously filled the vacancy on occasion in the past and at times he’s looked twice the player with the added responsibility. When he approaches the role properly his attitude changes and he appears more focussed.
But Rooney can be prone to fits of poor form, where he struggles to score or make a meaningful contribution in other areas. Captains are players that others should look up to for inspiration when their backs are up against the wall, not players they need to worry about carrying when they aren’t performing well. Rooney has also made noises about leaving the club in the past, too, which could bring his commitment into question.
Michael Carrick
Carrick would likely have been in with a should had he not sustained an ankle injury that will keep him on the sidelines for the news few months, and sadly he will now be overlooked.
However, he does provide an option for LVG to reassess his original option once he returns to full fitness. Carrick did let himself down last season as he was expected to be one of the more senior members of the side to help the club through the transitional period under David Moyes. As he enters the twilight of his career he will hopefully look to correct that and rectify that behaviour and close his playing days with a flourish.
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