Full Back, The Real Problem?

It has been well documented United need new reinforcements in January to challenge for the Premier League with central midfield highlighted as a problem area. They have been linked with the likes of Ross Barkley and Koke of Atletico Madrid but another problem area is the full back position with the ageing Patrice Evra having too many poor displays and Chris Smalling having to fill in for injury prone Rafael.

Evra was bought for only £7 million in the 2006 January transfer window and has been a class act for United ever since making over 300 appearances, winning five Premier League titles, the Champions League and proving a vital figure in the dressing room. Now at the age of 32 is still a mainstay in United starting eleven but with far from convincing performances including a poor showing against Norwich, his place in the team has been questioned with United linked with bids for the Likes of Luke Shaw, Fábio Coentrão and Leighton Baines who have all proven they are more than adequate replacements. Also with Evra out of contract at the end of the season he may be tempted to re-join former club Monaco or French champions Paris St Germain, who have shown an interest in the past.

There is no doubting Evra possesses great attacking ability and links up well with wide players but his first job is as a defender and I feel he is leaving too much space in behind when going forward allowing opposing wide players to expose this. Evra will still be United’s first choice left back until the end of the season as its unlikely United will find the right player in the January transfer window with big asking prices but come summer Moyes will surely look to the likes of Luke Shaw who has been outstanding and at 18 years old would be a solid investment.

Alexander Büttner offers cover for United at left back but he in his few appearances in a United shirt he has been found wanting, most recently against West Ham where he lazily played Carlton Cole onside allowing him to score. I feel Büttner’s days as a united player may be numbered with talks of loaning him out after failing to win a regular first team place. Buttner’s style of play is more suited to a winger as he likes to bomb forward which is expected of a modern-day full back but his first duty should always be to stop any attacking runs from out wide.

The right-back position for United has been less of a problem for United recently with Rafael beginning to mature and forming a great partnership with Antonio Valencia. With Rafael plagued by injuries, United have called on the likes of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones to cover at full back which isn’t their natural position. If Rafael can steer clear of injuries I feel he can become a great player for United, in the past people have criticised him for making rash challenges but at 23 years old he is still developing as a player and there is no better place than Old Trafford for him to flourish and prove doubters wrong.

With Rafael United’s only recognised first team right back, Moyes will be expected to strengthen this position or look to the youth with upcoming talent of young Swiss starlet Saidy Janko who has impressed since Joining from FC Zurich. Fabio Da Silva is a player United could look to as back up to Rafael but he has rarely featured for United this season and with Moyes favouring Smalling at right back it shows he doesn’t have a great amount of trust in Fabio who can play at both right back and left-back.

Come the January transfer window United may look to improve their options at full back but with teams unwilling to let players go half way through the season and some players not wanting to jeopardise their place for their national team due to the upcoming world cup, United may have to wait until the summer where they can find better value for players and have more time to assess targets and embed them in the team during pre-season.

We are playing Spurs tomorrow and a win is badly needed to build confidence. We need to start the year on a good note. Come on, United!!