We don’t want to pick on an already embattled Manchester United manager – he has enough on his plate right now.
But we wonder how good a man-manager he is.
Other than ‘Mike’ Smalling, he doesn’t seem to have won the wholehearted support of many of his players at Manchester United. And he doesn’t seem to fill a lot of them with confidence.
Angel di Maria, who has hit 9 goals in 20 games from wide areas in his short time at PSG, was like ghost after 6 months at Manchester United. A pale imitation of the world-class winger who punctuated The World Cup and Champions League Final in 2014.
And Memphis seems to have suffered a similar crisis in confidence since he joined the club.
The top scorer in Holland last season has managed just 2 league goals for his new club after half a season in which he has spent much of his time on the bench and been hooked at half-time more than once.
We can’t help but think that Sir Alex wold have dealt with it differently. When the similarly precocious Cristiano Ronaldo was in his erratic youth and being pilloried in many corners for the ease at which he would hit the turf, Fergie kept playing him. He knew that this was a world-class colt and also understood that the only way of massaging out the quality on a consistent basis was to play him.
Depay: Needs game time
And this is what LvG should be doing with Memphis. Yes, he frustrates at times. He makes the wrong decision or gives the ball away cheaply for Manchester United.
But we would be starting him on the right instead of Mata in a heartbeat. Because he has the pace and power to be a top winger. He can beat a man and put a cross in with his right foot. Mata is incapable of all of the above, which makes Manchester United pedestrian and imbalanced.
Memphis is not the next Nani. He has a much better football brain and is going to be a top player. We just hope that he is allowed to develop at Manchester United rather than losing faith in the manager and wanting out.
