Will Man United’s Decision To Add More Fire To The Wings Sideline Antonio Valencia?

This time last year the idea of Antonio Valencia being anything other than a guaranteed starter for Man United would have seemed laughable such was the Ecuadorian’s stunning form in the second half of the 2011/12 campaign. Far be it for me to question the tactics of the great Sir Alex Ferguson but if there’s one decision in his 26 and a half years of managing United that baffled me more than any other it’s without doubt the idea of only giving Valencia eleven minutes against Manchester City at the Etihad in April 2013. One goal for United would’ve all but guaranteed Roberto Mancini’s men wouldn’t be lifting the title that season, yet for some reason Ferguson waited until there was barely enough time to get warmed up before bringing on the player that had been the Red’s most potent attacking force for months. Fast forward almost one year and Valencia being introduced at the end of the Manchester derby at Old Trafford was met with disbelief by many United fans for a completely different reason.
Valencia’s loss of form has been nothing short of unexplainable as a once confident, aggressive, direct, winger has become a nervous, unsure, ponderous, passenger. There’s no point in sugar coating it, Valencia has somehow managed to let the entire season pass him by without so much as a whimper, despite playing the vast majority of games. While some of United’s other wingers can claim injuries, being rotated or even forced out of position have played their part in poor form, Valencia has no such excuses as he’s enjoyed an injury free season deployed almost exclusively on the right wing- bar a few games at right back. In total Valencia has created 40 chances from 30 games, not a terrible return, to be fair, but less than two chances a game is the sort of statistic Stewart Downing would be ashamed of- for the record the Liverpool winger has made 66 more chances in one less appearance.


The arrival of Wilfried Zaha seems to spell the end for Nani’s turbulent United career, but if we stop and think about it for a second, the Portuguese amateur dramatist may have a decent claim to a place in the side next season, more so than Valencia. Nani may have endured his least effective season, but he’s had injuries and a lack of playing time to contend with. It’s the nature of the beast for a winger to be inconsistent- in fact for Nani it seems he’s had it written into his contract- and a lack of games hardly helps.

Ashley Young is the latest persona non grata among many United fans, with social networks awash with vitriol almost every time the former Villa man dons the red shirt. Young’s first two seasons haven’t been the disaster as some would make out, but unlike Nani and Valencia, there hasn’t been an extended period of good form, a golden time the fans can look back upon. Nani was one of United’s best players in 2010/11 Valencia in 2011/12, yet Young has been impressive only sporadically which isn’t enough for many fans. Despite the lack of love he’s received from a lot of United fans, there’s still a case to be made for Young playing a big part next season. In eleven less appearances than Valencia, Young has managed a mere five less total chances created, not bad going for a player who like Nani hasn’t had much of a decent run in the side.

Young, like Nani also has the advantage of being able to play on the left, something that the predominately right-footed Valencia has never even been considered for. Zaha is similar to Nani and Young in that he’s able to play on either flank or even just off the striker. There’s the possibility that Nani and
Zaha start that they can swap wings throughout a game, something that would be pointless with Valencia.