[gooDevil]

Blackett was WONDERFUL until that last 30 min for Leicester. We re lucky to have both of them so we can remove Smalling and Evans from ever playing for us, hopefully they stay healthy.

Blackett doesn't have any CB habits or instincts, though, having played less than 10 games at CB in a back 4 in his career.

He was always going to make those sort of basic mistakes because he'd never learned to deal with various CB issues.

Like how to be strong in the air and detect the offensive player who is challenging, so you don't end up on the ground with the striker skipping past you from a header.

Or how to stay composed on the box when catching up with your man.

I don't blame him really, he's not been prepared to play CB at any level.​

 

[Hed Zitin]

He made Lukaku look very ordinary.

 

[herokiller84]

What a spot from vanGaal.


Talk about grabbing a chance with every bit of you.

 

[Decotron]

Blackett was WONDERFUL until that last 30 min for Leicester. We re lucky to have both of them so we can remove Smalling and Evans from ever playing for us, hopefully they stay healthy.

The absolute state of that

 

[jb8521]

The absolute state of that

My thoughts exactly

 

[Joga Bonito]

It's all right Paddy, you can let poor Lukaku out of your pocket now.

 

[The Man Himself]

Great performance again. When senior players come back, he will still make way but these games would have given him huge boost in confidence and we can be more comfortable now knowing that we have 2 good young CBs waiting to step up in Blackett and McNair if the senior guys are injured/not doing well enough.

 

[marjen]

Imagine what a confidence boost these two games will have been for the kid.

Really mature performance today.

 

[MDFC Manager]

Very good performance from the lad. Just once in open play where he lost Lukaku. Otherwise he had him in his pocket. He still has to improve a fair bit in set piece situations IMO. At the moment we have very little presence in there.

 

[Annihilate Now!]

He looks incredibly assured for a young man playing only his second game for Manchester United. Got a good feeling about him.

 

[The Azzurri]

So will he continue to play in the starting XI? Suddenly feel that dropping him for either Smalling or Evans is not so good idea after all

 

[Sam]

So will he continue to play in the starting XI? Suddenly feel that dropping him for either Smalling or Evans is not so good idea after all

He deserves to stay. He's out performed Evans/Jones/Smalling so far this season.

 

[Wade3]

If he keeps playing like this, he should start. Really proud to have an academy guy in the lineup, this is what United is still about.

 

[Nighteyes]

Played very well. If Jones is fit then I'd drop him but not for the other 2 crocks at our disposal.

Not sure why people are going hard on Blackett though. He was our best defender until those minutes at Leicester and had the added pressure of playing a 3 man defense which was causing all sorts of problems.

 

[Van Piorsing]

Just when you thought Blackett is a positive surprise of the season, this guy comes and push everyone on the bench. Honestly can't see Smalling, Evans or Jones getting close to this lad with their constant absurd fitness problems.

Kid look like he's really taking the chance from Van Gaal but I would be cautious in throwing him on the deep water against Chelsea and City but who knows... maybe that's what we need, a little bit of shock therapy to the squad.

 

[Americano]

He deserves to stay. He's out performed Evans/Jones/Smalling so far this season.

I absolutely agree. I hope he continues to start and stays fit. Being able to play a run of games would be a huge advantage over the more senior players.

 

[krazyrobus]

I don't understand the logic behind removing him for the big boys. the more established guys come in rusty, no match fitness and no rhythm going. Based on that, I'd rather put in a somewhat battle hardened Mcnair before the others.

If the others see him leap frog them, they wake up and smell the roses that this is man utd, you work hard for your place, if it means you are injury prone then go the extra mile to solving it, whether its improving your bio-mechanics, your flexibility, your strength or even your decision making.

 

[itso 7]

Very proud of him and he's brought himself into the reckoning as a legitimate squad option. We've gone from having three injury prone senior centre backs to six in a space of three months, and it only cost us £16m and a bit of balls from Van Gaal.

 

[Drifter]

Another calm mature performance from him. Keeps it simple.

 

[Skywarden]

Blackett doesn't have any CB habits or instincts, though, having played less than 10 games at CB in a back 4 in his career.

He was always going to make those sort of basic mistakes because he'd never learned to deal with various CB issues.

Like how to be strong in the air and detect the offensive player who is challenging, so you don't end up on the ground with the striker skipping past you from a header.

Or how to stay composed on the box when catching up with your man.

I don't blame him really, he's not been prepared to play CB at any level.​

I think a lot of people need to realise this. Well written.

 

[TwoSheds]

Blackett doesn't have any CB habits or instincts, though, having played less than 10 games at CB in a back 4 in his career.

He was always going to make those sort of basic mistakes because he'd never learned to deal with various CB issues.

Like how to be strong in the air and detect the offensive player who is challenging, so you don't end up on the ground with the striker skipping past you from a header.

Or how to stay composed on the box when catching up with your man.

I don't blame him really, he's not been prepared to play CB at any level.​

Not sure I believe that stat...are you including U18s and England games?

 

[Rykker_4united]

Its not as if McNair has been playing cb his whole life either, in fact far from it.

 

[Antisocial]

I thought he was excellent all things considered; building really well on what he did last weekend against West Ham.

I'd certainly keep him in the starting XI for West Brom regardless of the potential availability of the three invalids; though I'd probably blink ahead of the Chelsea selection and withdraw him out of that one, as I'd think it would be too much of a risk on his confidence playing against the champions-elect this early in his career.

LVG will I'm sure have a plan for his develop already in place having seen how well he's done so far.

 

[Still ill]

Fantastic stuff, something about watching an emerging centre-half, great to see. For the tools ready to ditch Evans and Smalling on the back of those two performances, well...I can't find the words at the moment.

 

[Robbie Boy]

Bar that one time he let Lukaku get the wrong side of him at the end of the first half, he kept him very quiet. He plays with an extremely high level of maturity considering he was only called upon due to a shocking injury crisis at the back. Fair play to him.

 

[OneUnited24]

Bar that one time he let Lukaku get the wrong side of him at the end of the first half, he kept him very quiet. He plays with an extremely high level of maturity considering he was only called upon due to a shocking injury crisis at the back. Fair play to him.

But in that instance i thought Rojo should have picked up Lukaku. At the end of the day he was the one facing him so should have been aware of the danger.

Still i've been really impressed with him so far. I was thinking about this today but had SAF been in charge you wonder if Blackett or McNair would get a chance like this. The last time we had a similar defensive crisis we used Fletcher/Carrick as our CBs, SAF probably didnt think he should risk a young CB getting ripped apart by PL attacks but i like how LvG has put a lot of faith in them - injury crisis or no

 

[Speak]

I already prefer him to Smalling and Evans.

 

[gooDevil]

Not sure I believe that stat...are you including U18s and England games?

I'm not counting England, has he played CB for them? That would surprise me greatly.

Did he play CB at U18s?

He had 3 games at CB for the Reserves two seasons ago (he had the worst goals against average of anyone who played CB for us).

He had 2 games at CB last season on loan, 1 at each club (in which his team conceded 4 in the first half (after which he was pulled) and another 5 goal concession in 90 minutes)).

He's had, what, 2 games for us in a back 4 this season?

Even if he did get games at CB at U18s that's no preparation for the EPL.

 

[Sam]

I already prefer him to Smalling and Evans.

Its amazing how a 19 year old kid, in only his second ever PL match, can look more confident, more assured and less likely to shit themselves then two players who have over 200 United appearances between them.

 

[Henrik Larsson]

Wouldn't play him against WBA, because Jones needs some rhythm for the Chelsea game. He would deserve a start in our next match though, he was brilliantly calm and composed today, joy to watch.

 

[jb8521]

I'm not counting England, has he played CB for them? That would surprise me greatly.

Did he play CB at U18s?

He had 3 games at CB for the Reserves two seasons ago (he had the worst goals against average of anyone who played CB for us).

He had 2 games at CB last season on loan, 1 at each club (in which his team conceded 4 in the first half (after which he was pulled) and another 5 goal concession in 90 minutes)).

He's had, what, 2 games for us in a back 4 this season?

Even if he did get games at CB at U18s that's no preparation for the EPL.

Yeah he played mostly as a CB in his 2nd year in the under 18s and a few times for England under 17/18/19s

 

[Walters_19_MuFc]

Another great game from young Paddy. Had Lukaku in his pocket all game.

 

[DWelbz19]

Wonder if Northern Ireland are thinking of calling him up. Looks better than their captain this season. (Evans is their captain, right?)

 

[gza the genius]

As good as he's played I'd still definitely go with Jones for the next two. No defender in the league can handle Costa currently, better to let Jones try than possibly ruin McNair's confidence.

 

[Walters_19_MuFc]

As good as he's played I'd still definitely go with Jones for the next two. No defender in the league can handle Costa currently, better to let Jones try than possibly ruin McNair's confidence.

Except for Kompany, who made Costa look like a 12 year old girl. But ye, I hope Jones is back too. We need that sort of aggression and strength against Costa.

 

[FromTheBench]

Wonder if Northern Ireland are thinking of calling him up. Looks better than their captain this season. (Evans is their captain, right?)

They should call him up to tie him up if not anything else.

Is he eligble for any other Country ?

 

[AltiUn]

I wonder if he could end up being our Alaba?

 

[Cutch]

Wonder if Northern Ireland are thinking of calling him up. Looks better than their captain this season. (Evans is their captain, right?)

Steven Davis is our captain. McNair will likely get a call up very soon, was probably too soon to call him up him up for these internationals with only one senior game under his belt at the time, but next time round is lookin likely.

 

[DWelbz19]

Steven Davis is our captain. McNair will likely get a call up very soon, was probably too soon to call him up him up for these internationals with only one senior game under his belt at the time, but next time round is lookin likely.

Ah, right, cheers for the confirmation.

 

[Wednesday at Stoke]

If he keeps this up, could spell the end of the road for Evans.