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With David Moyes taking over the reins from Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United are looking for a new beginning. Whether he can emulate the success achieved under one of the most successful managers in football remains to be seen. Here, I’ll appraise the Manchester United squad on the basis of their accomplishments this season.
DAVID DE GEA
This has been quite a good season for the young Spaniard. He has settled into the side well and has established himself as the No.1 at the club. Apart from the rare slip-ups, he gave some eye-catching performances and played a significant role in winning the title back.
FIFA 13 rating: 80
FIFA 14 rating: 85
ANDERS LINDEGAARD
He didn’t play as much as he played last season and couldn’t make the most of his limited opportunities.
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FIFA 13 rating: 78
FIFA 14 rating: 77
RAFAEL DA SILVA
The Brazilian had a brilliant season which cemented his place in the side and finally filled the void left by Gary Neville’s departure.
FIFA 13 rating: 77
FIFA 14 rating: 83
NEMANJA VIDIC
Injuries have taken a toll on the captain and he missed most of the season due to recurring knee injuries. He looks past his prime.
FIFA 13 rating: 89
FIFA 14 rating: 84
The centre-back recently retired from international football with England to focus on his club career, which seems like getting back on track with him giving some good defensive performances and also scoring his first league goal in five years.
FIFA 13 rating: 83
FIFA 14 rating: 86
JONNY EVANS
The defender has always been a point of criticism but he stepped up his game this season and looks the obvious replacement for Nemanja Vidic at CB.
FIFA 13 rating: 77
FIFA 14 rating: 83
PHIL JONES
The 21-year-old has shown his versatility throughout the season, playing in different positions successfully. But centre-back is his preferred position and he seems an able partner to Evans in central defence in the future.
FIFA 13 rating: 78
FIFA 14 rating: 82
CHRIS SMALLING
He, like Vidic, suffered an injury-prone season and missed most of the matches. But he made good of the limited chances he got, both as CB and RB.
FIFA 13 rating: 78
FIFA 14 rating: 78
PATRICE EVRA
The French left-back had a great season as he scored goals and assisted many as well. A little competition from Alex Buttner has helped him to improve his game.
FIFA 13 rating: 83
FIFA 14 rating: 85
ALEX BUTTNER
He showed his class in the limited opportunities he got, scoring 2 goals in 4 PL starts. He looks like a lad for the future.
FIFA 13 rating: 70
FIFA 14 rating: 78
MICHAEL CARRICK
He had his best season since his arrival in 2006. With Scholes out of the playing eleven for most of the season, he accepted the responsibility and played the role of a midfield general brilliantly. He got the players’ Player of the Year award for the season 2012-13 too.
FIFA 13 rating: 81
FIFA 14 rating: 86
TOM CLEVERLEY
The youngster didn’t get many chances in the midfield and played on the wings on most occasions. He would be hoping for more game time next season.
FIFA 13 rating: 78
FIFA 14 rating: 79
DARREN FLETCHER
The Scottish international has been out from the game for some time now due to his ulcerative colitis condition. Hopefully, he’ll be at the new manager’s disposal at the beginning of next season.
FIFA 13 rating: 80
FIFA 14 rating: 75
OLIVIERA ANDERSON
The Brazilian has never been able to cement his place in the side and has played the whole 90 minutes only 9 times during his 6 years at United. This season could have been a lucky season for him but just as he looked like getting into form, he got injured and couldn’t stake a claim.
FIFA 13 rating: 77
FIFA 14 rating: 76
SHINJI KAGAWA
The Japanese attacking midfielder hasn’t been able to emulate the success which he achieved at Dortmund, mainly because he hasn’t been given the chance to play in his favoured position – in the hole, just behind the striker. He played on the left wing on numerous occasions but did well whenever handed a chance.
FIFA 13 rating: 83
FIFA 14 rating: 84
NICK POWELL
The 19-year-old just played for 32 minutes in the league and scored on his debut against Wigan which lasted only 20 minutes. He has immense potential as a goal-scoring attacking midfielder.
FIFA 13 rating: 65
FIFA 14 rating: 72
At 39 years of age, he still remains the best winger in the squad, mainly due to Valencia’s lack of form. Age seems to have no effect on him and he continues being energetic while dribbling past defenders. He looks set to carry on for a year or two.
FIFA 13 rating: 81
FIFA 14 rating: 81
LUIS NANI
This has been a poor season for him. He lost his pace in the side during the beginning of the season and just couldn’t force his way back into the side. His major problem has been his inconsistency, which seems to grow year by year. Getting a red card in the all-important clash against Real Madrid didn’t help either.
FIFA 13 rating: 85
FIFA 14 rating: 82
ASHLEY YOUNG
He couldn’t score a goal all season. Although he missed many games due to injury, there was no flair in his game when he played. He seems to be an average winger who doesn’t own up to United’s standards.
FIFA 13 rating: 82
FIFA 14 rating: 80
ANTONIO VALENCIA
This was a horrible season for the Ecuadorian as he scored only one goal in the whole of the season. His pace and crossing weren’t as good as previous seasons and it looked like he couldn’t handle the pressure of being United’s No.7. He looked like coming back into form towards the end of the season and would be hoping for a better season next time around.
FIFA 13 rating: 83
FIFA 14 rating: 82
He averaged 64 minutes per goal/assist, which is the highest in the Premier League. The ‘super-sub’ has been on the bench for most of the season but with rumours of Wayne Rooney’s departure from Old Trafford doing the rounds, he looks like the front-runner to lead the line along with Robin van Persie, unless the new manager decides to buy a new striker.
FIFA 13 rating: 82
FIFA 14 rating: 85
DANNY WELBECK
The centre-forward has been widely criticized for not scoring enough goals but he has been quietly doing the role assigned to him and scoring goals when it matters (in the CL against Madrid). He has shown that, with his pace, he can play down the wings as well, which obviously enhances his value to the side. He promises to be the leader of the frontline in years to come.
FIFA 13 rating: 79
FIFA 14 rating: 80
WAYNE ROONEY
This hasn’t been the best of the seasons for the English international, with him out of the squad frequently due to injuries. But contrary to most people’s beliefs, I think this hasn’t been such a bad season for him as he scored/assisted every 90 minutes in the league, even after being handed the role of a midfielder for some games and playing second-fiddle to RVP. This could have been the reason for his unhappiness which led to him handing in a transfer request towards the end of the season. I still deem him fit to lead the line successfully and wouldn’t surprise me if he bolsters some team’s attack by joining them.
FIFA 13 rating: 89
FIFA 14 rating: 87
ROBIN VAN PERSIE
The former gunner was instrumental in United’s title charge this season and won the Golden Boot for the second time in two years. Although he failed to score for 11 consecutive games, he came back emphatically, scoring a hat-trick against Villa in the process. He looks like the man to lead the line for at least 2-3 more years.
FIFA 13 rating: 88
FIFA 14 rating: 90
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