It’s been a topsy-turvy ride for Manchester United in this calendar year. Twelve months of complete drama has seen them battle for top 4, get knocked out by Liverpool in Europa League, win the prestigious FA Cup after over a decade, immediately announce a managerial change, sack Louis Van Gaal and appoint Jose Mourinho and the summer provided the most drama more than anything else with prized signings Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Eric Bailly and Paul Labile Pogba joining the side to make it stronger.
Today, as we look back on the calendar year, the topic turns towards three players of the club who’ve performed extremely well. For any big club especially, the level of consistency and quality required is very evident and United over the years has always expected that.
The 3 Manchester United Players Who Have Had The Best 2016
Antonio Valencia
From one of the most slated players in the last stages of the Fergie Era, a player absolutely criticised for his poor crossing ability and lack of delivery from the right, this Ecuadorian has absolutely turned his fortunes around. Louis Van Gaal experimented first with Valencia and played him as a fullback and Jose Mourinho has carried out that trend and it has come out extremely well.
Valencia has established himself as one of the primary senior players in the team with vast experience. He constantly paces down the right side tormenting full-backs but his pace and adaptation has also made him a lethal defender and a very reliable one.
This season under Jose Mourinho especially, in 14 appearances so far, Valencia has won over the fans with sublime and consistent performances. He has won 69% of take-on which is an impressive figure for a wide player and his average duel percentage rises just above the 50% mark.
His average passing accuracy remains at an all time high with 84% with over 500 successful passes in these 14 games. However in cases such as this one, the statistics speak very less about the quality of impact the player has made. If this goes on, it’s hard that anyone would be able to dislodge the lad for another 2-3 season.
