Written by: Karma Gurung - 21109, Grade XII
Posted on: 20 July, 2020
Manchester United is the boyhood club that I adore. The club’s history is one you cannot ignore if you’re a football fan. Manchester United is one of the biggest clubs in the world but we aren’t one of the best right now. Our sworn rivals Liverpool won their sixth champion’s league trophy in the 2018/2019 season and now they are the premier league champions of the 2019/2020 season whereas we’ve been sacking managers and struggling for champion league spot. But now after the appointment of club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjær, there has been a new breeze in Old Trafford, a breeze rebuilding the club into its glory days. Since his appointment, Manchester United have signed players in a position we were lacking like Harry Maguire at Centre back, Aaron Wan-Bissaka at right-back, Daniel James at winger and Bruno Fernandes at Attacking midfielder. Although these signings have given Manchester United a huge boost, the club is still lacking depth and players in some positions. So as a football fan who loves ball possession and attacking football, I have decided to line up my Manchester United dream XI with new signings in a 4-3-3 attack formation.
Goalkeeper: Manchester United has some of the best keepers in the world. We have David De Gea, Sergio Romero, and Lee Grant. David has been our first choice keeper since his arrival back in 2011/2012 from Atletico Madrid. He has not been in his form for the past few seasons but I still believe he is a world-class keeper. So I choose David de Gea in my lineup.
Right-back: As simply as I can put it, I would keep Aaron wan bissaka as my right back all day long. He is the best defensive right back at the premier league for me. His tackling skills and defensive slides are top-notch. His attacking threat and assists are still improving since he is just 22 years of age.
Center back: Manchester United has several good defenders like Victor Lindelof, Eric bailey, Axel tuanzebe, Timothy fosu-Mensah, and Phil Jones. But only Harry Maguire among them is an exceptionally class defender. I would keep Harry Maguire as my Centre back since he has very good strength and defensive stats as well as he can set up Counterattack by his long passing ability. He also is good at set-pieces.
Center back: Manchester United missed out on Matthias de ligt in the summer transfer window. The former Ajax captain is one of the most influential players as well as a complete defender as seen in the Ajax team of 2018/2019. I like him as a young captain who led the Ajax team in beating the biggest club in the world Real Madrid. He is still 20 years old and he would be one for the future.
Left-back: Manchester united have decent right-backs like Luke Shaw and Brandon Williams. For a stable possession-wise game I would prefer Luke Shaw given his current form due to competition from Brandon Williams.
Defensive Midfielder: Manchester united has good midfielders like Nemanja Matic, Scott Mctominay, and Fred but I would prefer Ngolo Kante from Chelsea. He is the complete defensive midfielder in the world. He always has an impact in the game defensively as well as offensive wise. His pace is unbelievable and he along with Paul Pogba can change the game as in the world cup 2018.
Midfielder: Manchester United’s world-class player, as well as my favorite player Paul Pogba, is a player that can go into any team’s starting XI. His vision of the game is unbelievable. His specialty is the long crosses and passes he finds for the attackers upfront. He is the kind of player that controls the game’s flow.
Midfielder: Manchester United’s signing of the season Bruno Fernandes is my next player in the lineup. He is an all-out midfielder who plays as the playmaker for Manchester united. He can find passes in short space as well as initiate counterattacks, score free kicks and he is also brilliant in set pieces. Since his arrival, the whole club has changed into a team that is worth watching.
Left-winger: Manchester United’s own bred and born Marcus Rashford is one of the best players in his position. He is a lethal winger who likes to cut through defenders using his pace as well as his dribbling skills. He has a very good shooting at short range as well as long-range.so, I would put Marcus Rashford in my Starting XI.
Striker: Manchester united have a young striker whose ball control is very good as well as his shooting skills. Yet being played at the wrong position throughout his career until recently he moved up to his main position as the no 9 of Manchester united. He will be in my Starting XI because the way he finishes goals are absolute class, as well as his dribbling and I think he has the potential to be one of the best strikers in the world.
Right-winger: We need a player who has the creativity and attacking threat on the right-hand side and someone who can assist Marcus and Anthony. Manchester United should sign Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund. He fits the criteria perfectly. He is young, fast, creative and he can score and assist. His stats are very impressive as well as he used to play for local rivals Manchester City. This player is already reaching world-class status and he proves it by his stats.
