Former Manchester United midfielder Luke Chadwick has heaped praise on three of the club’s most improved players of recent matches.
Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside, Chadwick admitted he was pleased to see the improvement of Fred in midfield, while he also tipped Diogo Dalot and Alex Telles to have key roles for Man Utd under new manager Ralf Rangnick.
Rangnick won his first game in charge of the Red Devils at the weekend, with Fred scoring the winning goal against Crystal Palace after also having a strong game in the win over Arsenal in midweek.
Chadwick says he’s rated Fred for some time, but acknowledges that the Brazil international has also been a little inconsistent, though he’s seeing real promise from him in the last few games.
“I think Fred had a really positive effect on the game apart from obviously standing on De Gea’s ankle to give the first goal away against Arsenal!” Chadwick said.
“It’s plain to see for everyone since he’s come to the club that he’s got incredible energy levels, he gets about the pitch as well as anyone in the Premier League. It’s in possession where doubts have come in, with that consistency of how he keeps the ball.
“But his attitude is fantastic, he takes a lot of criticism but he does the job. I thought recently that if he was at a lesser Premier League club like a Leicester, a Wolves, a West Ham, I think everyone would be raving about him. But he’s under so much scrutiny at Old Trafford.
“Recently he’s arguably been the pick of our players, played really well against Chelsea, had an impact against Arsenal and scored the winning goal against Crystal Palace. He’s probably having more of an effect on the results of games than he did before.”
Rangnick has notably made Dalot and Telles his first-choice full-backs after the pair saw little playing time under the previous manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Michael Carrick also used them both in his final game as caretaker manager against Arsenal, and Chadwick believes they look like two much-improved players who could now have a key role to play in the new tactical system used by Rangnick.
“I think Telles and Dalot have come in and done well,” Chadwick said. “Dalot in particular, he’s a different kind of player to Wan-Bissaka, more comfortable on the ball and gets up the pitch more naturally.
“With the shape that the new manager’s playing, with the wide men coming in a bit more narrow, playing that half-ten position, there’s space there for Dalot and Telles.
“The games coming up look like they could be ideal for attacking full-backs, they should get plenty of opportunity to go forward. Wan-Bissaka’s maybe the better defender than Dalot, Luke Shaw also had a fantastic end to last season and performed really well at the Euros, but has then been a bit more inconsistent this season. Telles has never really let United down when he’s come in and he’s a really exciting full-back.
“I think they said during the coverage of the game that it was United’s first home clean sheet in 16 games, so the manager’s not going to change that back four. It’s an opportunity for Telles and Dalot, who you thought were maybe on their way out, but that’s what happens when a new manager comes in to a club, it gives everyone hope, particularly those who haven’t been playing.
“It could be Dalot’s last chance to play for United and he’s taking it with both hands, which is really good to see.”