[Ekeke]

That is my point. Those were the options so its not like we were spoilt for choice. Ofcourse when you look at it 3 years later there are other RB's. We should have really looked at others.

But he still gets brought up. Like I'm pretty sure he was brought up this past summer.

Because there arent that many good actual rightbacks who defend to a decent level but attack better than AWB

People mostly suggest players playing wingback/midfield in a 3-5-2 like Lamptey was last season. This season Brighton play 4-1-4-1 half the time and he plays right wing. The other half the time they play 4 across the back and Lamptey is dropped for Veltman at rightback and he was a CB at Ajax.

Livramento would be a new one this season, he looked good in Chelsea youth games but it was unlikely he'd have come straight here from there. Now he does play rightback for Southampton and has done well for a young player. At least he's playing the right position

 

[romufc]

But he still gets brought up. Like I'm pretty sure he was brought up this past summer.

Because there arent that many good actual rightbacks who defend to a decent level but attack better than AWB

People mostly suggest players playing wingback/midfield in a 3-5-2 like Lamptey was last season. This season Brighton play 4-1-4-1 half the time and he plays right wing. The other half the time they play 4 across the back and Lamptey is dropped for Veltman at rightback and he was a CB at Ajax.

Livramento would be a new one this season, he looked good in Chelsea youth games but it was unlikely he'd have come straight here from there. Now he does play rightback for Southampton and has done well for a young player. At least he's playing the right position

I personally don't think Aarons is an upgrade, I would rather have Dalot in that position if I'm honest.

I think with Lamptey, its the hype, same as AWB. He has been injured alot, so we haven't actually see him play in a 4 as RB for a consistent period. I want to know how good he is defensively. I keep seing things like he is ready for a big move, but paying £40m for him to turn out like AWB is not worth it IMO.

Livaremento has been good this season but again its 1 season. That is not enough evidence for me to sign someone for big money.

If that is the case, I rather have Laird. If we go ahead and sign another RB, I expect a top tier one, otherwise there is no point.

 

[KennyBurner]

Im no longer deceiving myself with this guy. We can never play progressive football with him available. Just sell to some sucker and be done with it.

 

[led_scholes]

AWB and Maguire were bought to stiffen up a defence that had shipped loads of goals in the previous season, and had failed to get top four, and they did, resulting in a top four finish (3rd I think), and entry into Champions League, so you could say that they repaid some of their transfer fees in increased revenue that, and subsequent seasons.
You never know how players will improve year on year, and both AWB have had very good performances, and also poor performances, especially this season.
AWB's biggest problem going forward I feel is his confidence taking on people, he certainly has the ability to, as we have seen on the all to rare occasions, but his biggest problem defensively is his positioning and not having the awareness of danger around him (as does both Mctominay and Fred). Tackling is his biggest asset, but opposing teams have worked out that you don't take him on, just pass around him.
I am hopeful that with Dalot currently making the RB spot his own, AWB will work hard on his shortcomings, and step up a notch or two.

Did we secure top 4 because of them? Or because of Bruno's impact and Leicester's breakdown?

 

[CloneMC16]

Did we secure top 4 because of them? Or because of Bruno's impact and Leicester's breakdown?

All three are factors. Our defence has improved with them in the team. We conceded 54 goals in 18/19 without them. 36 in 19/20 in their 1st season. 44 last season in their 2nd. We wouldn't have improved our league position if we kept conceding over 50 goals a season. AWB might not be good enough to help us reach the next step, but he helped to improve a very poor defence.

I won't give up on AWB, but I will admit that my confidence in him isn't as high as it used. I do still see something there and hope he can improve. Although, I wouldn't complain if he was moved on. I could fully understand why.

 

[led_scholes]

All three are factors. Our defence has improved with them in the team. We conceded 54 goals in 18/19 without them. 36 in 19/20 in their 1st season. 44 last season in their 2nd. We wouldn't have improved our league position if we kept conceding over 50 goals a season. AWB might not be good enough to help us reach the next step, but he helped to improve a very poor defence.

I won't give up on AWB, but I will admit that my confidence in him isn't as high as it used. I do still see something there and hope he can improve. Although, I wouldn't complain if he was moved on. I could fully understand why.

We also had conceded 28 goals in 2018 and 29 in 2017. So 2019 was more of an anomaly. Of course, Bissaka was an upgrade to a semi-retired Valencia and Maguire an upgrade to Smalling. But both of them, came with triple the money. And being an upgrade over 2019 Valencia does not mean a lot truly. What I want to say is that even if we had bought any other RB from a PL team, he would still be an upgrade. Eventually, both Maguire and AWB were still not enough to secure top 4. Fred, Bruno and Rashford (for half the season) were the internal factors. Take out AWB and put any other RB from pl, and we would still be top 4.

 

[Poborsky's hair]

Unpopular opinion but, he's still had many more great games than Dalot, who didn't have a stand out game yet, just some solid 6-7 displays - obviously the bar was set pretty low since before he was attrocious and AWB became to frustrate fans they would rather see Gary Neville out of retirement there instead.


People should not simply forget that AWB was at once on a run at leas 30 games where he was very solid to outstanding, finishing the whole season as one of our best players, despite his average contribution to attack, he was magnificent defensively and only after he started to look switched off in that regard people started doubting him but he's got at least 50 great games for us and many solid ones, which Dalot is very far from still.

The Portuguese attacking contribution is also pretty overstated as his crossing is extremely poor, often overhitting the ball in Bebe's fashion. So yeah I am also happy that at least he's positive going forward, and has a good number of defensive headers per game but other than that AWB will soon be back in fight, if not that means Diogo took it to the next level which can be only good for us, but never write him off, who just turned 24 himself and with good coaching he has still a lot of time to become a monster..

 

[Poborsky's hair]

We also had conceded 28 goals in 2018 and 29 in 2017. So 2019 was more of an anomaly. Of course, Bissaka was an upgrade to a semi-retired Valencia and Maguire an upgrade to Smalling. But both of them, came with triple the money. And being an upgrade over 2019 Valencia does not mean a lot truly. What I want to say is that even if we had bought any other RB from a PL team, he would still be an upgrade. Eventually, both Maguire and AWB were still not enough to secure top 4. Fred, Bruno and Rashford (for half the season) were the internal factors. Take out AWB and put any other RB from pl, and we would still be top 4.

Velencia a season before his best or the one before, was truly one of the most powerful and best fullbacks in the league, In his last season he was more just a solid 7/10 and nothing extra, but still some quality was expected to displace him, on the other hand he was aging and on his way to retire so it went pretty quickly in the end..

 

[Ekeke]

I personally don't think Aarons is an upgrade, I would rather have Dalot in that position if I'm honest.

I think with Lamptey, its the hype, same as AWB. He has been injured alot, so we haven't actually see him play in a 4 as RB for a consistent period. I want to know how good he is defensively. I keep seing things like he is ready for a big move, but paying £40m for him to turn out like AWB is not worth it IMO.

Livaremento has been good this season but again its 1 season. That is not enough evidence for me to sign someone for big money.

If that is the case, I rather have Laird. If we go ahead and sign another RB, I expect a top tier one, otherwise there is no point.

Lamptey has been in the squad 19 games this season, its the tactics and him not being good enough a rightback that sees him not picked in a back 4. He's done decently as a right mid/right winger when played further forward but its only a couple of games in either position.

He's young and if Brighton want him to be a rightback I would imagine he'll get there in a year or two eventually. But the truth is that he doesnt have much defensive quality. He's fast, can dribble and find a teammate. It would be the same as converting a winger to a fullback

 

[romufc]

Lamptey has been in the squad 19 games this season, its the tactics and him not being good enough a rightback that sees him not picked in a back 4. He's done decently as a right mid/right winger when played further forward but its only a couple of games in either position.

He's young and if Brighton want him to be a rightback I would imagine he'll get there in a year or two eventually. But the truth is that he doesnt have much defensive quality. He's fast, can dribble and find a teammate. It would be the same as converting a winger to a fullback

Yes, he has been picked 19 times but he's played 90 mins twice all season. That is not good enough. Like you say he is a converted winger, I don't actually rate him as highly as others do on here and even pundits.

 

[Ekeke]

Unpopular opinion but, he's still had many more great games than Dalot, who didn't have a stand out game yet, just some solid 6-7 displays - obviously the bar was set pretty low since before he was attrocious and AWB became to frustrate fans they would rather see Gary Neville out of retirement there instead.


People should not simply forget that AWB was at once on a run at leas 30 games where he was very solid to outstanding, finishing the whole season as one of our best players, despite his average contribution to attack, he was magnificent defensively and only after he started to look switched off in that regard people started doubting him but he's got at least 50 great games for us and many solid ones, which Dalot is very far from still.

The Portuguese attacking contribution is also pretty overstated as his crossing is extremely poor, often overhitting the ball in Bebe's fashion. So yeah I am also happy that at least he's positive going forward, and has a good number of defensive headers per game but other than that AWB will soon be back in fight, if not that means Diogo took it to the next level which can be only good for us, but never write him off, who just turned 24 himself and with good coaching he has still a lot of time to become a monster..

The problem is that these posters exist in a universe where that didnt happen. They are ignorant and unable to give credit when he's playing well and blame him for it because they dont want to take a look at themselves. He's even had some good games this season though overall he's certainly not been near his best.

Dalot has improved defensively and I would have to agree that he seems a lot better in the air than AWB. Just like AWB, and all the fullbacks we have posters suggest instead for a new rightback, or even TAA still have areas where they could vastly improve because they're weak. But if they look a bit more elegant on the ball regardless of how well they actually play, most posters in this thread would be happy.

 

[Ekeke]

Yes, he has been picked 19 times but he's played 90 mins twice all season. That is not good enough. Like you say he is a converted winger, I don't actually rate him as highly as others do on here and even pundits.

I think there's plenty to work with in terms of potential, but it would be a longterm project (2-3 seasons to be really solid) and in the meantime our CBs and defensive record would look a lot worse and Greenwood would have to track back every opponent attack, which is not the case right now and usually one of his weaknesses.

When a poster is able to accept that and still want to make it happen, I'd say fair enough. Usually the suggestion is that he'd walk right into the team at rightback despite not being trusted there in a mid table team. Delusional

 

[sullydnl]

All players have areas where they're weak. But not all players have weaknesses that make them as seemingly incompatible with the way most top sides tend to play as AWB is. Because there's no getting around the fact that in most top sides emphasis swings massively towards what your fullback does in possession, which is where AWB is weakest. It's not just about how good or bad a fullback he is, it's about the type of fullback he is. And it's also not just about attack, but also the defensive weaknesses having a weak link in possession brings.

Look at the other supposedly top PL sides. TAA, Robertson, Cancelo, Walker, James, Chilwell. It isn't a coincidence that their fullbacks all range from "better" to "massively better" than AWB in possession. They ended up with that collection of fullbacks because that's the profile of player they sought in that position. But for some reason we opted to spend big money on someone whose strengths/weaknesses are at odds with the now-typical demands that are placed on players in that role.

Even if AWB was playing as well as he could or even if he regains form, there would/will still be question marks as to his future here under any new manager. Because even a fullback as relatively poor as Dalot fits better, let alone actual top level players. It's a problem that isn't going to go away.

 

[CloneMC16]

We also had conceded 28 goals in 2018 and 29 in 2017. So 2019 was more of an anomaly. Of course, Bissaka was an upgrade to a semi-retired Valencia and Maguire an upgrade to Smalling. But both of them, came with triple the money. And being an upgrade over 2019 Valencia does not mean a lot truly. What I want to say is that even if we had bought any other RB from a PL team, he would still be an upgrade. Eventually, both Maguire and AWB were still not enough to secure top 4. Fred, Bruno and Rashford (for half the season) were the internal factors. Take out AWB and put any other RB from pl, and we would still be top 4.

That is true, but conceding 54 was a huge red flag. The defenders we had weren't good enough. We brought in those two and we got better. I will give them some credit for that. They were too expensive, but it was an improvement from where we were. I'm unsure if I agree with the notion that any other RB would produce the same result, but fair enough.

Unpopular opinion but, he's still had many more great games than Dalot, who didn't have a stand out game yet, just some solid 6-7 displays - obviously the bar was set pretty low since before he was attrocious and AWB became to frustrate fans they would rather see Gary Neville out of retirement there instead.


People should not simply forget that AWB was at once on a run at leas 30 games where he was very solid to outstanding, finishing the whole season as one of our best players, despite his average contribution to attack, he was magnificent defensively and only after he started to look switched off in that regard people started doubting him but he's got at least 50 great games for us and many solid ones, which Dalot is very far from still.

The Portuguese attacking contribution is also pretty overstated as his crossing is extremely poor, often overhitting the ball in Bebe's fashion. So yeah I am also happy that at least he's positive going forward, and has a good number of defensive headers per game but other than that AWB will soon be back in fight, if not that means Diogo took it to the next level which can be only good for us, but never write him off, who just turned 24 himself and with good coaching he has still a lot of time to become a monster..

I completely agree with you. It's the reason why I haven't given up on him. I've watched him play well even this season. He's had a few games where I've felt he's played very well. It probably doesn't mean much, but we've seen better performances from him than Shaw and Maguire this season. Plenty of people also watched Dalot get destroyed by Danjuma and they couldn't wait for AWB to get back in.

He had plenty of very good games last season as well. He's never going to be TAA, but I have hope that he can improve. Competition from Dalot will do him good. Dalot has shown us improvements defensively. We need the same from AWB offensively. I don't think the club will sell him yet. There are other issues with the squad that will need dealing with. I think he will get until the end of next season. If we're not seeing much improvement, he probably gets moved on.

All players have areas where they're weak. But not all players have weaknesses that make them as seemingly incompatible with the way most top sides tend to play as AWB is. Because there's no getting around the fact that in most top sides emphasis swings massively towards what your fullback does in possession, which is where AWB is weakest. It's not just about how good or bad a fullback he is, it's about the type of fullback he is. And it's also not just about attack, but also the defensive weaknesses having a weak link in possession brings.

Look at the other supposedly top PL sides. TAA, Robertson, Cancelo, Walker, James, Chilwell. It isn't a coincidence that their fullbacks all range from "better" to "massively better" than AWB in possession. They ended up with that collection of fullbacks because that's the profile of player they sought in that position. But for some reason we opted to spend big money on someone whose strengths/weaknesses are at odds with the now-typical demands that are placed on players in that role.

Even if AWB was playing as well as he could or even if he regains form, there would/will still be question marks as to his future here under any new manager. Because even a fullback as relatively poor as Dalot fits better, let alone actual top level players. It's a problem that isn't going to go away.

This is the main issue and why I would understand if he did leave. He won't reach the level of those players. If we're looking to be on the same level, we will likely need players of similar or better quality.

This basically contradicts what I said above. I don't know. I like the guy and think he can get better, but I don't think he'll ever get to an elite level. Will that be enough? Looking at other top teams, they mostly have elite level fullbacks...

 

[Can7onA]

His heads gone I reckon, some players thrive playing for Man Utd but there's a hell of a lot that don't.

He'll be shipped out as soon as we have someone to come in, Dalot is a stop gap.

 

[NoPace]

His heads gone I reckon, some players thrive playing for Man Utd but there's a hell of a lot that don't.

He'll be shipped out as soon as we have someone to come in, Dalot is a stop gap.

Dalot is only a stopgap if Brandon Williams or Laird becomes a proper first-teamer. You need 2 right backs.

 

[Red Royal]

He should spend his time out trying to perfect a Ward-Prowse type corner.

 

[Greck]

Unpopular opinion but, he's still had many more great games than Dalot, who didn't have a stand out game yet, just some solid 6-7 displays - obviously the bar was set pretty low since before he was attrocious and AWB became to frustrate fans they would rather see Gary Neville out of retirement there instead.


People should not simply forget that AWB was at once on a run at leas 30 games where he was very solid to outstanding, finishing the whole season as one of our best players, despite his average contribution to attack, he was magnificent defensively and only after he started to look switched off in that regard people started doubting him but he's got at least 50 great games for us and many solid ones, which Dalot is very far from still.

The Portuguese attacking contribution is also pretty overstated as his crossing is extremely poor, often overhitting the ball in Bebe's fashion. So yeah I am also happy that at least he's positive going forward, and has a good number of defensive headers per game but other than that AWB will soon be back in fight, if not that means Diogo took it to the next level which can be only good for us, but never write him off, who just turned 24 himself and with good coaching he has still a lot of time to become a monster..

If AWB is better than Dalot it just means Dalot isn't good enough too. It doesn't automatically promote AWB to United quality, how would that even work? This whole thing is based on a fallacy that it's a binary either/or situation when it could actually be a neither/nor.

 

[Stgun]

First and foremost, a footballer must look like footballer, which means they have to be comfortable with the ball unlike me, passing comfortably , keep the ball comfortably , do all the basic footballing comfortably . Any other attribute such as sliding tackle is just a bonus for a footballer

All three are factors. Our defence has improved with them in the team. We conceded 54 goals in 18/19 without them. 36 in 19/20 in their 1st season. 44 last season in their 2nd. We wouldn't have improved our league position if we kept conceding over 50 goals a season. AWB might not be good enough to help us reach the next step, but he helped to improve a very poor defence.

I won't give up on AWB, but I will admit that my confidence in him isn't as high as it used. I do still see something there and hope he can improve. Although, I wouldn't complain if he was moved on. I could fully understand why.

Unpopular opinion but, he's still had many more great games than Dalot, who didn't have a stand out game yet, just some solid 6-7 displays - obviously the bar was set pretty low since before he was attrocious and AWB became to frustrate fans they would rather see Gary Neville out of retirement there instead.


People should not simply forget that AWB was at once on a run at leas 30 games where he was very solid to outstanding, finishing the whole season as one of our best players, despite his average contribution to attack, he was magnificent defensively and only after he started to look switched off in that regard people started doubting him but he's got at least 50 great games for us and many solid ones, which Dalot is very far from still.

The Portuguese attacking contribution is also pretty overstated as his crossing is extremely poor, often overhitting the ball in Bebe's fashion. So yeah I am also happy that at least he's positive going forward, and has a good number of defensive headers per game but other than that AWB will soon be back in fight, if not that means Diogo took it to the next level which can be only good for us, but never write him off, who just turned 24 himself and with good coaching he has still a lot of time to become a monster..

To call him solid when we barely keep any clean sheet is nonsense. Dalot isn't just better in attacking but also better defensively than AWB, how did you think we suddenly kept more clean sheet and conceded less if he was worse than AWB after like 20+ games without clean sheet ? The only change from our first 11 was our fullback and look how it actually help the team to retain more possession and defend better .AWB being good at slide tackle doesn't mean he is a good defender. Sliding tackle mostly only result in throw in which means the opposition keep their possession .Good defender read the game well, position themselves well, compete for headers well and being proactive instead of reactive, front foot instead of back foot ,stand and snatch the ball from the opposition instead of going down to slide and lose possession . AWB is worse at all those things than Dalot. Back then i keep saying when we finally have a proper manager, Dalot will play and AWB will go the bench.

Dalot is only a stopgap if Brandon Williams or Laird becomes a proper first-teamer. You need 2 right backs.

He isn't stop gap , he will be here for a long time as our first choice RB , the guy is still only 22 years old, so there is lot of room to grow. If we sold him i guarantee plenty of top European club will be after him because they can actually rate a footballer better than most people here. While no one other than lesser EPL club will be going after AWB.

 

[VP89]

He isn't stop gap , he will be here for a long time as our first choice RB , the guy is still only 22 years old, so there is lot of room to grow. If we sold him i guarantee plenty of top European club will be after him because they can actually rate a footballer better than most people here. While no one other than lesser EPL club will be going after AWB.

Dalot looking better than AWB doesn't make him near enough starting quality week in week out for Manchester United. He should definitely be a stop gap, I don't think any of the top 6 teams would take him as their full back let alone the top 4.

 

[Stgun]

Dalot looking better than AWB doesn't make him near enough starting quality week in week out for Manchester United. He should definitely be a stop gap, I don't think any of the top 6 teams would take him as their full back let alone the top 4.

Our starting right back for the last 20 years were Gary Neville , Wes Brown , Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, John Oshea , Valencia , AWB. Which one do you think was good enough for Manchester United ? We never had world class RB, Dalot can start week in week out just fine , at least i will give him 2 seasons as starting fullback before i wrote him off like AWB had.

 

[andersj]

Because there arent that many good actual rightbacks who defend to a decent level but attack better than AWB

There are plenty of rightbacks in the PL who defend and attack better than AWB. More importantly, most in the PL are better during transition and build up.

Reece James, Azpi, TAA, Semedo, Pereira, Justin, Walker, Cancelo, Castagne, Coufal, to name a few, would to a better job for Rangnick or any other modern coach than AWB. I also think most of them would prefer Livramento and Aarons.

Rangnick will not play AWB much going forward. And neither will the next guy we hire. You can be sure of that!

 

[red woppit]

We also had conceded 28 goals in 2018 and 29 in 2017. So 2019 was more of an anomaly. Of course, Bissaka was an upgrade to a semi-retired Valencia and Maguire an upgrade to Smalling. But both of them, came with triple the money. And being an upgrade over 2019 Valencia does not mean a lot truly. What I want to say is that even if we had bought any other RB from a PL team, he would still be an upgrade. Eventually, both Maguire and AWB were still not enough to secure top 4. Fred, Bruno and Rashford (for half the season) were the internal factors. Take out AWB and put any other RB from pl, and we would still be top 4.

You have some interesting takes from that time. I would think it would be a trend we were getting into rather than an 'anomaly', if we have kept the same defence do you think goals conceded would have reverted back to 28 or 29 the following season?
To say AWB and Maguire were still not enough is a strange statement, as the other players were all more forward thinking, so would not be as involved in the defensive part of each game as much. I'm not sure 'any' RB being brought in would have got us top four, it's impossible to say, so your statement can never be proved right or wrong, but I accept that that is your opinion, which is basically what this forum is about.
My point initially was that AWB and Maguire helped to shore up a leaky defence, which they obviously did by the team conceding 18 less goals, now I agree that those players alone would not have gained a top four spot, but it is a team game, and as far as I'm aware both Fred and Rashford played the season we shipped 54 goals, and Bruno arrived in the January, so only contributed (admittedly brilliantly) half a season, so the whole team must take credit, not just three players.
I stand by my original statement of both AWB and Maguire being bought to stiffen up the defence and therefore helping to get the club back into the Champions League.

 

[VP89]

Our starting right back for the last 20 years were Gary Neville , Wes Brown , Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, John Oshea , Valencia , AWB. Which one do you think was good enough for Manchester United ? We never had world class RB, Dalot can start week in week out just fine , at least i will give him 2 seasons as starting fullback before i wrote him off like AWB had.

Football has progressed then. The full back role has been the biggest contributor from a positional standpoint. Now a "modern full back" is expected to show consistency in attack and defence, which is why Dalot wouldn't get a spot in most top teams, or top 4 teams. Tomiyasu has shown more chops than Dalot has, TAA is obviously miles better, James is better, Walker is better, Cancelo is better, heck further down the list Ricardo Periera is better, Semedo this season has been better, Coufal/Johnson are better.

Dalot has been an improvement on Wan Bissaka, I never expected that. He's been able to do a job relatively solid without being too careless on the ball. But his value offensively is non existent and has no place as a starter in the long term in that regard.

 

[TwoSheds]

Football has progressed then. The full back role has been the biggest contributor from a positional standpoint. Now a "modern full back" is expected to show consistency in attack and defence, which is why Dalot wouldn't get a spot in most top teams, or top 4 teams. Tomiyasu has shown more chops than Dalot has, TAA is obviously miles better, James is better, Walker is better, Cancelo is better, heck further down the list Ricardo Periera is better, Semedo this season has been better, Coufal/Johnson are better.

Dalot has been an improvement on Wan Bissaka, I never expected that. He's been able to do a job relatively solid without being too careless on the ball. But his value offensively is non existent and has no place as a starter in the long term in that regard.

Coufal and Johnson are decidedly average. I don't agree with you there. They are grafters though - likeable players.

 

[mctrials23]

The issue that will never be solved with AWB is that he is fantastically limited. He suits a side that sits deep and counter attacks down the opposite flank. Positionally he is awful, he isn't very quick on his heels, he isn't any good going forwards and he doesn't seem to put in enough effort to cover ground when its not simply a 1 vs 1 situation. Don't get me wrong, in 1 on 1s hes brilliant. I think Sterling still has nightmares about facing him but no top side plays in a way that would make AWB a good choice at RB.

I could kind of handle it if he was just a bit weak going forwards but hes weak going forwards and defensively bad when asked to do anything complex or pro-active.

Dalot isn't looking like being anything special but he is an upgrade on AWB in almost every area that matters. Last ditch tackles that AWB is fantastic at are a tiny tiny part of most games.

 

[VP89]

Coufal and Johnson are decidedly average. I don't agree with you there. They are grafters though - likeable players.

So is Dalot though. He works hard and isn't afraid to get stuck in, but offensively he can't put a cross in like Coufal or Johnson can.

Also I feel the offensive trait in a full back is a more required quality for top teams than it is for the sides lower down. The top teams need to unlock deeper defences more and we've seen countless instances of the fullback being the key there - be it for Chelsea or City or Liverpool.

Chelsea are a good example, since James got injured they look materially less threatening. Of course other matters play into it too but James being missing is a huge hit for them. If Dalot was injured for our next game, I don't think we'd miss a huge amount.

 

[TwoSheds]

So is Dalot though. He works hard and isn't afraid to get stuck in, but offensively he can't put a cross in like Coufal or Johnson can.

Also I feel the offensive trait in a full back is a more required quality for top teams than it is for the sides lower down. The top teams need to unlock deeper defences more and we've seen countless instances of the fullback being the key there - be it for Chelsea or City or Liverpool.

Chelsea are a good example, since James got injured they look materially less threatening. Of course other matters play into it too but James being missing is a huge hit for them. If Dalot was injured for our next game, I don't think we'd miss a huge amount.

But Dalot is more skilful, has better technique and passing than Coufal, is much quicker, taller I think too. If crossing is the only thing Coufal does better then it's not really a good trade off IMO.

 

[VP89]

But Dalot is more skilful, has better technique and passing than Coufal, is much quicker, taller I think too. If crossing is the only thing Coufal does better then it's not really a good trade off IMO.

Dalot is not more skilful or technical than Coufal.

 

[Chief123]

AWB and Maguire were bought to stiffen up a defence that had shipped loads of goals in the previous season, and had failed to get top four, and they did, resulting in a top four finish (3rd I think), and entry into Champions League, so you could say that they repaid some of their transfer fees in increased revenue that, and subsequent seasons.
You never know how players will improve year on year, and both AWB have had very good performances, and also poor performances, especially this season.
AWB's biggest problem going forward I feel is his confidence taking on people, he certainly has the ability to, as we have seen on the all to rare occasions, but his biggest problem defensively is his positioning and not having the awareness of danger around him (as does both Mctominay and Fred). Tackling is his biggest asset, but opposing teams have worked out that you don't take him on, just pass around him.
I am hopeful that with Dalot currently making the RB spot his own, AWB will work hard on his shortcomings, and step up a notch or two.

We were terrible that season even with AWB and Maguire in the team up until January when we signed Bruno Fernandes who single handedly dragged us into a top 4 finish with a leicester capitulation helping massively.

The truth is AWB just hasn't improved his glaring weaknesses which are a neccessity in order to make it at Utd. He's just not good enough at this moment in time.

 

[TwoSheds]

Dalot is not more skilful or technical than Coufal.

Ok I'll wait for the many clips of Coufal doing stepovers and taking amazing touches then.

 

[VP89]

Ok I'll wait for the many clips of Coufal doing stepovers and taking amazing touches then.

Coufal doesn't have any more bad touches than Dalot. In fact Dalot is guilty of heavy passes, overhit crosses and general clumsiness. He's cut a lot of it out but he's certainly not amazing at it.

And his stepovers add next to no value - he gets half a yard on the opposition as much as other fullbacks would without needing to do a stepover. You're talking like Dalot is some Cafu sort of player here.

 

[Brophs]

All players have areas where they're weak. But not all players have weaknesses that make them as seemingly incompatible with the way most top sides tend to play as AWB is. Because there's no getting around the fact that in most top sides emphasis swings massively towards what your fullback does in possession, which is where AWB is weakest. It's not just about how good or bad a fullback he is, it's about the type of fullback he is. And it's also not just about attack, but also the defensive weaknesses having a weak link in possession brings.

Look at the other supposedly top PL sides. TAA, Robertson, Cancelo, Walker, James, Chilwell. It isn't a coincidence that their fullbacks all range from "better" to "massively better" than AWB in possession. They ended up with that collection of fullbacks because that's the profile of player they sought in that position. But for some reason we opted to spend big money on someone whose strengths/weaknesses are at odds with the now-typical demands that are placed on players in that role.

Even if AWB was playing as well as he could or even if he regains form, there would/will still be question marks as to his future here under any new manager. Because even a fullback as relatively poor as Dalot fits better, let alone actual top level players. It's a problem that isn't going to go away.

I liked him in the early days; felt he’d train on and become more natural. If anything, he’s gone backwards. Teams actively target him. Admittedly, he’s been in awful form and wouldn’t look this poor when he was on it, but what incentive does Rangnick have to make him a project in the next 3 months?

But the main issue now is the point you raise. He just doesn’t naturally fit a modern, progressive side. If we sell him where does he go and for how much? Is a top side going to even look at a player of his profile and if not, is he looking at a move to someone like West Ham (I can’t see another alternative in the top 10)? We’d be incredibly lucky to see even half our money back. Not sure I see him going anywhere quickly.

 

[red woppit]

We were terrible that season even with AWB and Maguire in the team up until January when we signed Bruno Fernandes who single handedly dragged us into a top 4 finish with a leicester capitulation helping massively.

The truth is AWB just hasn't improved his glaring weaknesses which are a neccessity in order to make it at Utd. He's just not good enough at this moment in time.

If I remember right, we had some awful games that season, and indeed Bruno's addition certainly galvanised the team into performing better, and more importantly, winning more games.
My initial post highlighted the fact that bringing AWB and Maguire into the squad enabled the team to concede less goals than the previous season, which is exactly why they were purchased, and what they did.
I'm not that naïve to think that they achieved 3rd place just because of those two players, as it takes the whole squad to perform well, but they certainly helped.
AWB certainly has improved, and had some excellent games last season, but this season has performed poorly on the whole, but he still needs to improve his positioning and awareness defensively, and be more positive going forward.

 

[Chief123]

If I remember right, we had some awful games that season, and indeed Bruno's addition certainly galvanised the team into performing better, and more importantly, winning more games.
My initial post highlighted the fact that bringing AWB and Maguire into the squad enabled the team to concede less goals than the previous season, which is exactly why they were purchased, and what they did.
I'm not that naïve to think that they achieved 3rd place just because of those two players, as it takes the whole squad to perform well, but they certainly helped.
AWB certainly has improved, and had some excellent games last season, but this season has performed poorly on the whole, but he still needs to improve his positioning and awareness defensively, and be more positive going forward.

I do agree AWB and Maguire certainly improved our defence and arguably have had their best spell for us in their first seasons. Especially Maguire who brought solidity to a defence that was a shambles the season before.

The concern as well as hope with AWB was that we all knew he was a brilliant one v one defender. The hope was the attacking side would improve with coaching and playing with better players in a better team.

But the cold truth is AWB’s attacking side of the game has not improved at all since he’s been at Utd and his defensive side has been a lot poorer than it was in his initial season. There’s no signs so far to suggest his ability on the ball and attacking abilities is going to improve enough to the level it needs to be. He needs a very dramatic improvement in a short space of time to cement his place in Utds foreseeable future.

If Poch or Ten Haag come in as managers, then AWB should certainly be worried as both managers require full backs who are comfortable on the ball.

Right now, Dalot is offering more than AWB which is good if Dalot’s progression continues. But if Dalot doesn’t work out, the club will have no option but to look for a new right back because AWB doesn’t look like he can be what we need him to be.

 

[DJ Jeff]

so will we even get £20m for this guy in the summer? I think wages once again are going to screw us out of resale value on a valuable asset

 

[Chief123]

so will we even get £20m for this guy in the summer? I think wages once again are going to screw us out of resale value on a valuable asset

Could very well be in a position where another player is happy to sit on a hefty contract that no other club is willing to match. We need a Newcastle to come in with a bid. It’s all going to depend on AWB’s desire to play. However, with his multiple driving bans he might not be keen on getting buses so may well just sit at home collecting his money.

 

[sullydnl]

I liked him in the early days; felt he’d train on and become more natural. If anything, he’s gone backwards. Teams actively target him. Admittedly, he’s been in awful form and wouldn’t look this poor when he was on it, but what incentive does Rangnick have to make him a project in the next 3 months?

But the main issue now is the point you raise. He just doesn’t naturally fit a modern, progressive side. If we sell him where does he go and for how much? Is a top side going to even look at a player of his profile and if not, is he looking at a move to someone like West Ham (I can’t see another alternative in the top 10)? We’d be incredibly lucky to see even half our money back. Not sure I see him going anywhere quickly.

Aye, hard to see many teams where he'd fit given even lesser PL sides like Villa, Brighton, Leeds, etc. tend to favour attack-minded options at fullback. You either need a team who doesn't play that way or who are weak enough that they'll compromise in that position for someone like AWB. And few of those latter teams would be attractive enough or rich enough to sign him, you'd think.

 

[DJ Jeff]

Could very well be in a position where another player is happy to sit on a hefty contract that no other club is willing to match. We need a Newcastle to come in with a bid. It’s all going to depend on AWB’s desire to play. However, with his multiple driving bans he might not be keen on getting buses so may well just sit at home collecting his money.

They say he's on 90k, other sources say 120k, I'd lean to the second knowing the contracts we've been handing out.

 

[captain666]

AWB should be given a 4 metre box to defend without stepping out of it,his positioning and defensive heading are woeful and his attacking and crossing aren't much better