Most Improved Player Award

FrankWhite

Not Frank White
Joined
May 3, 2017
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In light of the recent poll on who's your favourite player, I started wondering about this very NBA award. Who would win most improved for you?
Candidates are as follows:

Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Bruno Fernandez
David De Gea
Diogo Dalot
Fred
Luke Shaw
Marcus Rashford
Victor Lindelof

Having so many candidates is just a reflection of what a turn around we've seen this season.
The obvious answer vs last season stats-wise is Rashford. However, if we change the question to: what you've thought a player's fate was vs what they've showed this season. I think a case can be made for AWB. Who would you pick?
 
Probably AWB, looks a lot more comfortable going forward. Most of the others have shown periods of great form previously.
 
I think Dalot is by far the most improved. Rashford is more a return to form (even if its his best version) whereas Dalot has gone from looking like a really poor full back to being one of the more notable players in his position.
 
Yes - you answered Rashford. But there's a good case too for Fred. Shaw being reinvented as a centre back is another one.
 
FrankWhite said:
In light of the recent poll on who's your favourite player, I started wondering about this very NBA award. Who would win most improved for you?
Candidates are as follows:

Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Bruno Fernandez
David De Gea
Diogo Dalot
Fred
Luke Shaw
Marcus Rashford
Victor Lindelof

Having so many candidates is just a reflection of what a turn around we've seen this season.
The obvious answer vs last season stats-wise is Rashford. However, if we change the question to: what you've thought a player's fate was vs what they've showed this season. I think a case can be made for AWB. Who would you pick?
Click to expand...

Great post, it makes you realise what good coaching and probably the players understanding what is required of them can do to a player.
For me Wan Bissaka and Dalot (before World Cup) have made tremendous strides, Shaw, I feel, has shown under previous managers that he is capable, as has Rashford, Fernandes and De Gea. Fred still has poor spells in games, but looks great alongside Casemiro. Lindelof has had one very good game.
 
FrankWhite said:
Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Bruno Fernandez
David De Gea
Diogo Dalot
Fred
Luke Shaw
Marcus Rashford
Victor Lindelof
Click to expand...
Bruno shouldn't be in the list because even at our worst he was still far down the names I wanted rid of. Arguably Shaw and DDG as well. The rest as much as they have improved, are all still replaceable with the right signing except for Rashford. So most improved in terms of fate is still Rashford.
 
I think there's an argument to make that none (or at least the majority) of these players are playing at that much of a higher level than they have shown previously at various points here. However, the difference is that they are now all firing at the same time. That is testament to ten Hag.
 
Both right backs. Pretty much every United fan wrote AWB off, since the World Cup hes been brilliant. You can see his game developing going forward. That run in the derby which got the crowd up showed that it’s definitely there
 
Strictly from last season, Rashford.
But on the overall level they've shown over years, Dalot.
 
Per 90 min stats.

Rashford 18/19 - 0.41 npxG, 0.19 xA
Rashford 19/20 - 0.44 npxG, 0.17 xA
Rashford 22/23 - 0.45 npxG, 0.12 xA.

In terms of his underlying threat Rashford hasn't really improved on his previous best. He's just got back to his previous best after a two-season downspell, with a brilliant and unsustainable finishing hot streak on top of that.

Whereas I think someone like Dalot has straight up never been as good before as he was in the first half of this season.
 
Only Dalot wasn't doing well when we were good under Ole from this list, so it has to be him...
 
FrankWhite said:
In light of the recent poll on who's your favourite player, I started wondering about this very NBA award. Who would win most improved for you?
Candidates are as follows:

Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Bruno Fernandez
David De Gea
Diogo Dalot
Fred
Luke Shaw
Marcus Rashford
Victor Lindelof

Having so many candidates is just a reflection of what a turn around we've seen this season.
The obvious answer vs last season stats-wise is Rashford. However, if we change the question to: what you've thought a player's fate was vs what they've showed this season. I think a case can be made for AWB. Who would you pick?
Click to expand...
This time last year, most fans would have wanted all these players out. The turnaround is just unbelievable
 
Definitely AwB. Rashford has been great but not that much better than what we've seen previously
 
I would still go for Rashford. He is basically knocking on top 5 - 10 Ballon d'Or ranking atm and his numbers and form since the WC (or since Ronaldo left) is nothing short of amazing.

We've seen glimpses and great stretches before, but this season looks and feels like he is stepping into that truly elite group of players.
 
Rashford because he went from sulking and jogging on the pitch to scoring and telling the supporters to use their heads.
 
Dalot for me. He has added the most to his game, whereas the others have mostly added more consistency. We have seen good games from Fred before, and we have seen good runs of form from Rashford before. But I don't think I had previously seen Dalot put in really solid defensive performances, while also contributing offensively.
 
Between Shaw, Wan Bissaka and Dalot... maybe ten hag just knows how to coach fullbacks.

Shaw showed a very good level and has stepped up to genuinely world class. Dalot was excellent in the first half of the season, getting back to full fitness and form now but he showed a massive step up from most people not seeing him with any sort of relevance to (at least for me) seeing him as a long term starter without a doubt. Wan Bissaka the turn around the past 2 months has been incredible really, and while he was class in the first season under Ole, he's kicked on here.

De gea, no. Bruno hasn't changed much. Rashford stepped up but he showed a class level in the past, just he stepped up further now. Fred was class last season quite often and was quite good a lot under Ole, just not at this level. Lindelof is about the same he's always been (decent CB but not starter).
 
Shaw and Rashford for me. Shaw was treading water, Rashford looked lost. We knew both had it in them but their form has been insane for a prolonged period now.
 
I think its easily Dalot. Rashy and AWB had shown glimpses of this level previously, Dalot has never looked ready and last season in particular he was awful. It was only last season Danjuma tore him a new one at OT, it was like Memphis up against that Danish side only we were on the wrong end of it this time.

I still don't particularly rate him that highly but he's come a long way and I'm okay with seeing him start unlike before where it scared me.
 
Naturally I’d say AWB but Bruno will be my pick.
If you’re familiar with my posts, you’ll see a very clear thread of dislike for his game. Don’t think my position has changed but I’ve come to appreciate how it’s a necessity in all football teams.
 
It is Rashford. Last season he was beyond bad, he is currently one of the best players in Europe.
 
Surely Rashford. He'd been utter shite. There's revisionism going on about how the fans were being harsh on him but he was that bad. Now he's one of the best.
 
Rashford definitely. The turnaround has been nothing short of incredible.
 
Dalot and Wan Bissaka. United before this season have gone from needing a right back to now having two good right backs, both very different that offers plenty to the team.
 
sullydnl said:
Per 90 min stats.

Rashford 18/19 - 0.41 npxG, 0.19 xA
Rashford 19/20 - 0.44 npxG, 0.17 xA
Rashford 22/23 - 0.45 npxG, 0.12 xA.

In terms of his underlying threat Rashford hasn't really improved on his previous best. He's just got back to his previous best after a two-season downspell, with a brilliant and unsustainable finishing hot streak on top of that.

Whereas I think someone like Dalot has straight up never been as good before as he was in the first half of this season.
Click to expand...

Great post.
 
Rashford is the obvious one, but I will go with AWB. Was hoping we'd offload him ASAP. He has his weaknesses but his form has been very good since he took his opportunity with Dalot being out.

Also, Shaw is so consistent. Rarely if ever has a bad game now.
 
It has to be Dalot.

He hadn't had a good season, half-season or even a good 2 month spell before Ten Hag. Now he doesn't look out of place in the starting eleven.
 
Rashford. It's not just his output, but overall play, workrate, and fitness level improvement are insane.

It's actually harder to improve from the top, instead of from bottom of barrel.
 
Dalot or AWB.

Rashford has returned to previous form, which neither of the two above really had.
 
Has to be Rashford. Went from looking absolutely hopeless (and I couldn't wait to get rid of him) to a sustained period of world class form.

No idea what changed, but it's been bloody impressive
 
Rashford and AWB would be the front runners for me.

Honourable mention to Dalot.
 
Zen86 said:
Probably AWB, looks a lot more comfortable going forward. Most of the others have shown periods of great form previously.
Click to expand...

Can't argue and the same could be said fo Dalot as of 3 weeks ago.

Dalot is easier to explain, AWB feels like an ETH master class of player management.
 
How is Bruno on the list???
He was brilliant in his first season and really good in his second and he is not back up there yet.
 
I would nominate Dalot.

Like many people said, the other players have shown glimpses or periods where they're close to the level they're currently at:
Rashford has looked electric beforehand before being lost for 2 years
AWB was defensively sound when he first arrived (though he's clearly shown more than before in terms of attacking
Fred has had good games before (though more consistent now, and I still think he lacks consistency [even within games when he could have a dreadful 45 minutes, the difference is there's someone to sweep up his mistakes])
Bruno was incredible when he first arrived
Shaw has always been been incredibly talented, and has had great performances before (the only difference is there are people to hold up opposition counters when he pushes up, and he tries harder to get back into position)

But Dalot? I genuinely struggle to remember him having a good performance before the this season, and definitely not more than 1 good/acceptable game at a time. His performances since the WC hasn't been great, but before the WC he had a good period of incredibly strong performances, and showing skills (both defensively and offensively) that I've never seen him show. So for me, Dalot for sure.
 
AWB's performances don't really surprise me. He's played well for us in the past. His first two seasons were good. He's gotten back to (maybe surpassed) his form from back then. As have most of the other players you named, but AWB was the one that most of the fanbase thought was going to be sold. Last season was bad for him, but it was for almost everybody.

Dalot is the biggest one for me. Especially before the World Cup. He was excellent. People were saying he was playing well last season, but I didn't see it. His back post defending was top notch, but his delivery in the final third was god-awful. He also kept shooting low percentage shots. I was never impressed by him, but my opinion has done almost a 180.

I'm very happy with both of our RB's now. Both have performed well this season.

Rashford is a close 2nd. He had a terrible 18 months. It didn't look good for him, but his form this season has been crazy good. This season has easily surpassed his best seasons. I don't give him the top spot, because he has performed well for us in the past. I never saw it with Dalot, and was hugely surprised at how well he was playing during the 1st half of the season.
 
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