Manchester United are still stuttering this season, and some players need to start pulling their weight
Despite their big name players, Manchester United have come undone again against opposition that they need to beat if they have top four aspirations. With Chelsea and Manchester City coming up in their next two games, the Red Devils will need to improve in order to avoid some embarrassing score-lines.
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6) Luke Shaw
Signed for £30m in the summer, the left-back has had the pressure on him from the start. Although it is understandable that this may be a lot to handle for a 19-year-old, some of his performances have been fairly poor so far. The way Andre Wisdom was able to get past him for West Brom’s first goal summed up his below-par showing.
5) Phil Jones
When Phil Jones first signed for Manchester United, he was hailed as a future England and United captain. Since then he hasn’t improved as he should have done, and at 22-years-old, there is becoming less and less time for him to do so. With Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand gone, Jones needs to become the leader of the defence.
4) Robin van Persie
When van Gaal arrived at the club, van Persie was being touted as skipper because they’d worked together at the World Cup for the Dutch national team. Since then, he’s bagged two goals in seven league appearances, and needs to improve if he’s going to continue leading the line ahead of Falcao.
3) Chris Smalling
Alongside Phil Jones, Smalling was another who was seen as the future of Man Utd’s back four when signed. Now 24, he hasn’t lived up to his early potential and is part of the defensive problems that plague the Red Devils at the moment.
2) Wayne Rooney
Made captain at the start of the season, Rooney has so far looked like he has been feeling the pressure of leadership. Losing his rag with his players after conceding against Leicester City and getting sent off for a terrible foul against West Ham have not helped his image – especially when combined with his relatively poor performances. When back from suspension people will be expecting some captain’s performances to lift the team.
1) Juan Mata
Last season his poor performances were blamed on his being played out of position. This season he has no such excuse, the game against West Brom being a prime example. Despite being deployed in his favoured no. 10 role, he still went missing. He’ll need to do better soon in order to live up to his £37m price tag.