Can former Manchester United prospect Fraizer Campbell return to haunt his old side?

Fraizer Campbell

Fraizer Campbell is gearing up to take on the club of his youth as Cardiff prepare to welcome Manchester United to south Wales on Saturday. The 26-year-old has insisted in the build-up to the contest that he has no regrets about leaving Old Trafford, though admitted the decision was difficult, and come kick-off all former allegiances will undoubtedly melt away as he looks to leave his mark. But how much of a threat does the ex-Red Devil pose to the reigning Premier League champions?

The Englishman has netted just twice on the campaign, having hit a decisive brace on August 25 in a famous Bluebirds win over Manchester City at home, surprisingly sitting joint top scorer for his side alongside Steven Caulker despite his meager tally.

His displays haven’t exactly set the world alight, as could be expected given his goal return, evidenced by a Performance Score of just 2 in 11 appearances as he’s racked up 10 Squawka ‘Worst’ Awards.

A plurality of these dubious honours – four to be exact – have been bestowed in light of his inability to retain the ball in attack, demonstrating his need for quality service to be effective in lieu of creating chances for himself in possession.

Indeed, Campbell has attempted only seven take ons this term, completing four, further showing his lack of interest in taking on markers one-on-one to carve out opportunities for himself.

Compounding this issue for the striker is the fact that Cardiff rank 19th in the Premier League in chances created with 73, in front of only Fulham on 67, highlighting a distinct lack of the type of incisive balls Campbell needs to thrive from his teammates.

Total Chances Created

A player that relies on his movement to be played into space by those surrounding him, such paucity in terms of service is one of the main reasons Campbell has failed to get his name on the score-sheet more often.

And unfortunately for the ex-Old Trafford man, in opposition to United, Cardiff’s chances of breaking such a pattern don’t look so promising.

The Red Devils lead the English top flight in interceptions with 191, directly flourishing in the very aspect of the game that provides the most potent defence against Campbell’s preferred method of causing danger for the opposition.

Yet a slight ray of hope does exist for the Bluebirds striker in United’s penchant for committing errors at the back, seven in total and three that have led to goals, and given the 26-year-old’s solid predatory instincts, he could benefit from such a tendency should the right conditions arise.

However, needing to wholly rely on the adversary to make a mistake in order to profit isn’t quite an efficient mode of business, as to note that in this case, destiny to score doesn’t lie entirely in his hands.

And so from a strength perspective, Campbell doesn’t seem to truly pose a serious threat to his former club.

What with his side’s inability to feed him the ball in appropriate areas and United’s clout in breaking up play, the striker appears to be headed for a situation in which his chances of having genuine opportunities are quite limited.

Of course, there is always the possibility that an error presents the circumstances necessary for Campbell to be a factor, but such circumstance shouldn’t be counted on at the top level.

Instead, it looks as if the 26-year-old is in for a tough afternoon against his boyhood club.