Premier League 2019-20: 3 players Manchester United should try to improve their results

Brandon Williams
Brandon Williams

Manchester United drew 1-1 with Southampton FC at St Mary's Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday. It was a disappointing performance by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men and one that failed to ignite any enthusiasm among their supporters.

The Red Devils went one goal ahead early on in the game through a stunning Daniel James effort which was the result of a nicely weighted pass by Scott McTominay. But an equalising header by Jannik Vestergaard allowed the home team to sit deep and defend with confidence.

United could not breach the Southampton defence and had to be content with just one point from their trip to the south coast of England. Here, we pick out three players whom the Red Devils can try in the coming weeks to improve their results.

1) Fred

Fred
Fred

Central midfielder Fred, who was signed by Jose Mourinho in the 2018 summer transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk, is yet to establish himself in the Manchester United first team. The Brazilian can be a valuable addition to Solskjaer's squad, especially as his distribution skills and defensive abilities are better than average.

While the Norwegian has said to the press that Fred is behind Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay in the United pecking order at the moment, it will probably not be too long before he gets a look in. The fans would be hoping that he gets that opportunity now since Pogba is injured and McTominay hasn't been at his best.

Fred must have had his hopes raised after Ander Herrera and Marouane Fellaini left the club earlier this year, and he is working pretty hard to make a name for himself at Old Trafford after a below-par first season.

2) Mason Greenwood

Mason Greenwood
Mason Greenwood

17-year-old attacker Mason Greenwood, who has played in bits and pieces in all of United's Premier League matches this season, needs to be infused more into the first side. A horrible showing from Marcus Rashford and an injury to French stalwart Anthony Martial have meant that Greenwood is highly likely to make a full start in the coming weeks.

The Englishman is quick on the flanks and can also play the hold-up role as the sole striker. While it may not be a permanent move, Greenwood can gain a lot of experience from playing against the top Premier League sides and that will only help in his development.

It would have helped if he had had the experienced Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez to learn from, but the boy from Bradford is surely capable of turning the Red Devils' fortunes around.

3) Brandon Williams

Brandon Williams
Brandon Williams

19-year-old left back Brandon Williams, who is a product of the Manchester United youth system and currently plies his trade for the club's under-23 team, might seem like an unusual addition to this list. But there is reason to believe that he can provide United the solution to their flagging problems in the wings.

Williams got a taste of travelling with the first team when he went to the Champions League away tie to PSG (which of course, United won miraculously) earlier this year. He did not make the bench then but will surely be hoping to do so now.

An injury to first team left back Luke Shaw has meant that manager Solskjaer has decided to go with club captain Ashley Young in that role. But Williams should be given an opportunity to see what he can offer.

The young Englishman is similar to Young in the fact that he too is right-footed, but what he can do much better is offer pace on the ball. Williams has constantly shown in under-23 games that he can make pressing runs on the wings and also rush back quickly to make defensive adjustments.

He can also cut inside to the midfield and create lay-offs for the more attack-minded players. The boy is the form of his life and Solskjaer must give him an opportunity now, as a possible solution to United's problems in the wings.

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Edited by Musab Abid