Right Winger... Who do we go for?

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The right side of our attack is not a weakness at all.

I have to catch a train in a bit, so I don't have time to screenshot the touches map of the Bournemouth game right now. But if you look at it, you'll see we did just as much on the right as we did on the left. In fact, our first 3 goals all came down the right!

The difference between the right and the left is that we don't build up on the right very much. The majority of touches in the middle third are towards the left (near where Pogba plays). But the touches in the final third are pretty much even.

The reason the right isn't a weakness is mostly because Rashford likes to drift there and Ole has given him the freedom to do it. Just as he's given the freedom to Lingard to drift central. If we were to bring in another man to play from the 'right', he'd be asked to pick up the same positions that Lingard does now.
 
ash_86 said:
I think it makes all the more sense for getting someone older to play there and gradually introduce Chong to the seniors team. Take the pressure off them and in two years, they can take up the position for themselves.
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Chong is 19 already. It's time he is allowed to swim with the sharks.
Valencia/Young can be the backup on the wings.
 
ash_86 said:
I think it makes all the more sense for getting someone older to play there and gradually introduce Chong to the seniors team. Take the pressure off them and in two years, they can take up the position for themselves.
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How about Alexis Sanchez?
 
Kostov said:
Because Lingard uses his superior physicality to compete with PL full backs? Not really.
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No because he's a better player...

I was posting in the Lukaku thread about how physicality in football is all about body position, doesn't matter if you're Juan Mata or Duncan Ferguson if you can't protect the ball you're screwed. I feel with Chong, 99% of players he's facing now are struggling to get near him because he's lightening quick and technically decent but coming up to the PL, I'd say the majority of full backs would be all over him. It's hard to see the difference until you see someone make the move - same happened with Depay who was miles more ready than Chong is now IMO. That extra half yard of space you used to have is gone and players are that little bit better, tactically and physically. There's also the fact in that example that Eredivisie to PL is a much smaller jump than U23's to PL.

Currently, Lingard is a much better player for that role, doesn't mean he will be longer term but we're talking about the present.
 
If we're going to play the fluid forward system then we need a goal scorer on the right. I would bring in Griezmann. People will tell me that he's a centre forward but if you look at his heat maps, he's all over the place. His work rate is incredible and scores consistently.
 
ash_86 said:
I don't know if he will start on the right. I certainly hope so but his role maybe a bit central as far as i can see. We will get to see more today.
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That's the same position that Ole is asking Lingard to play. It's a one-for-one switch.
 
RedCurry said:
If we're going to play the fluid forward system then we need a goal scorer on the right. I would bring in Griezmann. People will tell me that he's a centre forward but if you look at his heat maps, he's all over the place. His work rate is incredible and scores consistently.
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We had a chance this summer when his release clause was set to 80m, that ship has sailed.
 
Dante said:
That's the same position that Ole is asking Lingard to play. It's a one-for-one switch.
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Lingard has been playing on the right for a long time , even under Jose. As you say, the logic would be to swap Lingard for Alexis. For some reason i believe Lingard is very critical for Ole. He has been playing him for 90 mins in all matches. Don't be surprised if Sanchez came in for Martial.
 
BlueHaze said:
We had a chance this summer when his release clause was set to 80m, that ship has sailed.
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He wouldn't work in the system we played under Mourinho. If we are looking to play a front three that is required to press and score goals, Griezmann is one of the better players out there.
 
ash_86 said:
Lingard has been playing on the right for a long time , even under Jose. As you say, the logic would be to swap Lingard for Alexis. For some reason i believe Lingard is very critical for Ole. He has been playing him for 90 mins in all matches. Don't be surprised if Sanchez came in for Martial.
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Lingard is critical to Ole, just as he was for Mourinho.

It's because Lingard has the best awareness of space in the Premier League (which is also the reason that Mata doesn't play instead of Lingard).

Sanchez isn't quite as good as Lingard in that respect, but he's more of a direct threat.

If I were to assign totally made up numbers to them, I'd say that Sanchez is 20% better than Lingard individually; but Lingard makes everyone around him 10% better.

It may well be that Lingard retains his place. But if he does, it'll be on merit and would undercut the need to buy a replacement.
 
Dante said:
Lingard is critical to Ole, just as he was for Mourinho.

It's because Lingard has the best awareness of space in the Premier League (which is also the reason that Mata doesn't play instead of Lingard).

Sanchez isn't quite as good as Lingard in that respect, but he's more of a direct threat.

If I were to assign totally made up numbers to them, I'd say that Sanchez is 20% better than Lingard individually; but Lingard makes everyone around him 10% better.

It may well be that Lingard retains his place. But if he does, it'll be on merit and would undercut the need to buy a replacement.
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Sure.
 
RedCurry said:
He wouldn't work in the system we played under Mourinho. If we are looking to play a front three that is required to press and score goals, Griezmann is one of the better players out there.
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Actually he would be the perfect fit in Mourinhos system which is why it baffled me we didn't trigger the clause. If you watch a lot of Atletico games you'd instantly pay attention to how hard he works and tracks back a lot. You even said it yourself "his workrate is incredible" So I am sure you know what I'm talking about. He was my ideal target but now I sincerely hope we get Sancho which I know, is highly unlikely to happen.
 
Dante said:
Lingard is critical to Ole, just as he was for Mourinho.

It's because Lingard has the best awareness of space in the Premier League (which is also the reason that Mata doesn't play instead of Lingard).

Sanchez isn't quite as good as Lingard in that respect, but he's more of a direct threat.

If I were to assign totally made up numbers to them, I'd say that Sanchez is 20% better than Lingard individually; but Lingard makes everyone around him 10% better.

It may well be that Lingard retains his place. But if he does, it'll be on merit and would undercut the need to buy a replacement.
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That is quite a statement to make about such mediocre player. But I am not surprised. Many of our fans seem to think he is the second coming of Maradona. Would Lingard be a starter for clubs like Chelsea, Barca, Real, City, Bayern? Not a chance, Wolves is where a player of his calibre belongs.
 
What do folk make of Thorgan Hazard?

Would he be a good signing or are there much better options out there that we should go for instead? Deep down, I really want Jadon Sancho but reckon Dortmund will play hardball over him as they ain’t really in a position of having to sell any of their star players.
 
BlueHaze said:
Actually he would be the perfect fit in Mourinhos system which is why it baffled me we didn't trigger the clause. If you watch a lot of Atletico games you'd instantly pay attention to how hard he works and tracks back a lot. You even said it yourself "his workrate is incredible" So I am sure you know what I'm talking about. He was my ideal target but now I sincerely hope we get Sancho which I know, is highly unlikely to happen.
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His talent is wasted on the right on a rigid system though. Under Mourinho he would spend most time tracking back than doing any sort of attacking. He wouldn't be played centre forward because he's too short for that. In a fluid three all forwards share the pressing and attacking responsibilities.
 
Griezmann already spends most of his time tracking back for Atletico. I'd have Griezmann as the best 1v1 finisher in the game, whose attacking movement is ridiculously good, and has a bit of pace, that's why he scores so often.
 
Dante said:
Lingard is critical to Ole, just as he was for Mourinho.

It's because Lingard has the best awareness of space in the Premier League (which is also the reason that Mata doesn't play instead of Lingard).

Sanchez isn't quite as good as Lingard in that respect, but he's more of a direct threat.

If I were to assign totally made up numbers to them, I'd say that Sanchez is 20% better than Lingard individually; but Lingard makes everyone around him 10% better.

It may well be that Lingard retains his place. But if he does, it'll be on merit and would undercut the need to buy a replacement.
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Agree.
 
You dont need to a pro scout or world best recruit team to see that Jadon Sancho is the right winger to buy. The boy is shining so bright that, that Old Trafford and not London,calling him to come. Its clear as day. Not that Ronaldo level when United bought him. Come and get me United or Rooney that way. But Sancho is really really close to that level.

The good with Sancho is that he can play really good on both wings. It can be a solution if Chong turn out to be really good and take the top level as a football player. You can move Sancho to the left side and move Martial up to partner Rashford as strikers like this.

Chong - Witsel/Kante/DeJong - Pogba - Sancho

Rashford - Martial

But prefer starting line up go into the season 2019/20

Sancho - Witsel/DeJong/Kante - Pobga - Martial/Sanchez + Lukaku/Martial - Rashford

And about 1-2 years hopefully Chong and Gomes can take the next step to be 100 % with the first team squad.

Drop and no need to buy a new striker this summer. Rashford, Lukaku, Martial and Sanchez can all play as 2 striker up there. Plus if Greenwood can knock the door to the first team. Im more than satisfy with United striker options. I said this even before United bought Zlatan. United should be good enough for top 4 without the arriving of Zlatan. United had back then Rooney, Martial and Rashford back then. If you got the best out of those 3, the should be good enough for top 4.

So back to the point. Save the money for RW and Sancho. Drop the striker. Its only a young Lewandoski or Suarez level United shall go after. And those level doesnt exist out there in the football world right now or in the football market right now. But they are coming.

And if Sancho start to be really consistent, deliver and dominate consistent week in and week out. Then he is really close to the level we call top level as a football player. A level where young Ronaldo and Rooney became one of the world best. We are seeing it with Mbappe, from Monaco level to world champion with France and start to deliver consistent top level week in and week out. Turn out to be a world class player.
So like i said above. Sancho hasnt give that feeling yet, but hopefully he is slowly climbing his way to the top level of football. He is not there yet, but he is no doubt no far from that. Its about to be conistent over a long 2-years period. Talent turn and transform to ability. It goes more on automatic, when you push yourself to the max on the matchday. Its something really naturally, to play on the top level. In every matches.

Right now, Sancho is my best recommenation as a RW and winger that can play on both sides. Why?Because beside the talents and skills. Most of the time he is making the right decisions on the pitch. Not always, because of ours ego and we all are human/not perfect. He knows when he shall deliver and pass the ball and when he can take on players and beat players. And that stats is just showing how many assists he is having this season. Fast and skills, but defintive a team player too. That are mine reasons and arguments to buy Sancho as a RW.
 
el3mel said:
Well that's great. We keep losing best options for long term right winger that we'll end up with Lingard and Mata again next season. Can't be much happier I guess.
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120 m bid for pochh and Erikson.:D
 
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BlueHaze said:
That is quite a statement to make about such mediocre player. But I am not surprised. Many of our fans seem to think he is the second coming of Maradona. Would Lingard be a starter for clubs like Chelsea, Barca, Real, City, Bayern? Not a chance, Wolves is where a player of his calibre belongs.
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You seem very confused about what I posted.
 
Dante said:
Rashford, Martial and Sanchez are all potentially world class under the right manager.

Lukaku, Mata and Lingard are as good a set of squad options as you'll find anywhere.

With Sanchez and Mata barely over 30, Greenwood and Chong will have plenty of opportunities to play a few minutes here and there without being relied upon. That gives the manager lots of time to assess the young lads properly in low pressure situations. It's the perfect situation - in 2 years' time, those two senior players will be coming to the end of their careers, whilst the kids will finally be ready to start theirs. If it turns out either Greenwood or Chong not good enough, we can dip into the market at the appropriate time.

I really don't see any reason to buy a new attacker until at least 2021 unless something goes drastically wrong. We're covered for the present and have potential for the future.
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There's a couple of problems with this, one is that Sanchez has looked shot for a while now, hopefully he's not but there is a whiff of the latter day Rooney about him, and Mata is out of contract this summer and free to go where he wants, it wouldn't surprise me if he fancied a few seasons in Italy at a team where he'll start every week.

The other thing is you are assuming a lot about what is wanted from that RW position, Mourinho may have wanted that type of player out there but Ole simply has no other option so he has to use that type of player. If he becomes full time manager you might find he wants a more direct threat that plays like Martial, and then of course there's the likelihood that Ole wont be manager, we'll have to see what the new manager wants from his RW options.

Lingard is a good player but if you play a fluid front 3 without a recognized #9 goal scorer you need plenty of goals from all 3, Jesse's output is sporadic at best. Your plan is fine if everything falls perfectly into place, but things don't often work out so neatly.
 
Red Devil's Advocate said:
Well, as a backup all he needs to do is stretch the play to the byline and create space for Pogba, Lingard to operate in the middle. Way better than wasting money on a player that we don't need urgently.
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Easier to say than done. If he had done that consistently, we'd not be looking for a winger.
 
tomaldinho1 said:
No because he's a better player...

I was posting in the Lukaku thread about how physicality in football is all about body position, doesn't matter if you're Juan Mata or Duncan Ferguson if you can't protect the ball you're screwed. I feel with Chong, 99% of players he's facing now are struggling to get near him because he's lightening quick and technically decent but coming up to the PL, I'd say the majority of full backs would be all over him. It's hard to see the difference until you see someone make the move - same happened with Depay who was miles more ready than Chong is now IMO. That extra half yard of space you used to have is gone and players are that little bit better, tactically and physically. There's also the fact in that example that Eredivisie to PL is a much smaller jump than U23's to PL.

Currently, Lingard is a much better player for that role, doesn't mean he will be longer term but we're talking about the present.
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He's probably a better player I agree, but not a better RW in my opinion. And I agree completely that you really never now until a kid makes the jump.

I disagree about Depay though, he never looked like the prospect everyone here was lauding back in the day. People on here rated him as a better prospect than Sterling, which to begin with was laughable to me.

And in my opinion I feel Chong has a lot more to him than lightening speed and decent technically, he's one of our most talented youngsters, which to be frank is having a quiet season compared to last year.
 
Three of Fekir, Martial, Rash, Alexis, Jesse &Rom switching positions could be a joy to watch fluid attacking football.
 
It's fecking empty. Mata is all over the place and Valencia won't cross the halfway line.
 
Good God our right side is weak. It's so bad that I'm actually desperate for Lingard to return. Mata and Valencia need removing from this club ASAP
 
We desperately need someone for the RW. Thauvin, Fekir, whoever. Someone needs to come in, hopefully we can do it this winter but obviously I'm expecting it in the summer.
 
Even if we had signed Pulisic he wouldn't have arrived until next season. Be patient and compare our RW options to Pulisic next season.
 
Bwuk said:
He’s nowhere near the answer, he’s not as good as Lingard.
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I'll never get this. People claim that each player we miss isn't good enough or not "United quality" but we're suppose to believe Lingard and Mata on the right are "United quality" and "good enough for us now".

Pulisic is a talent in progress and would have solved right wing position problem for us for years. Still 20 only.
 
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