Left full back 2020

Mark Pawelek

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Digne, Tagliafico, Lodi and Telles.
But my choice Lodi or Digne.
I concede Telles, Digne, and Tagliafico. But Lodi? By what logic, or performance is Renan Lodi better than Sergio Reguilon? I can't see it. Reguilon is nearly at the same level as the other 3 you mentioned but is younger and may actually be available.
 

LuckyScout78

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If a starter. Robin Gosens for me. He has the same energy of Andrew Robertson. Even Robertson is more complete. But Gosens score more goals than Robertson. Gosens is full back that can past player and have a good pass foot.

Same winning mentality and athleticism as Robertson. Robertson is a truly a machine. Energetic player. I do see it in Gosens. A bulldozer of a left back. Beside a skill and precise left foot.
And Gosens can play as Left midfield in need and crisis situations too. Like this :

Bissaka - Lindelof/Smalling- Maguire- Shaw + Sancho - McTom - Pogba - Gosens + Bruno/Greenwood + Rashford/Martial

Gosens is good enough for over 5 goals each season playing regular as left midfield. Gosens has eyes for goals like Chelsea Alonso. With the ball abilities. Gosens is clearly better than Shaw. But Williams to be honest, is doing a great job as left back too. So I don’t think a left back is a position United need to fix first. Maybe giving Williams another year as left back option. To see how he develops. And I don’t think a really good left back is hard to find.
The central spine is most important. Beside getting Sancho of course.
 
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King Andow

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If a starter. Robin Gosens for me. He has the same energy of Andrew Robertson. Even Robertson is more complete. But Gosens score more goals than Robertson. Gosens is full back that can past player and have a good pass foot.

Same winning mentality and athleticism as Robertson. Robertson is a truly a machine. Energetic player. I do see it in Gosens. A bulldozer of a left back. Beside a skill and precise left foot.
And Gosens can play as Left midfield in need and crisis situations too. Like this :

Bissaka - Lindelof/Smalling- Maguire- Shaw + Sancho - McTom - Pogba - Gosens + Bruno/Greenwood + Rashford/Martial

Gosens is good enough for over 5 goals each season playing regular as left midfield. Gosens has eyes for goals like Chelsea Alonso. With the ball abilities. Gosens is clearly better than Shaw. But Williams to be honest, is doing a great job as left back too. So I don’t think a left back is a position United need to fix first. Maybe giving Williams another year as left back option. To see how he develops. And I don’t think a really good left back is hard to find.
The central spine is most important. Beside getting Sancho of course.
According to Transfermarkt he has just 1 game as a LB this season, in a 5-3-2. The rest was in midfield. Could he cope playing in a back 4 in the EPL?
 

LuckyScout78

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According to Transfermarkt he has just 1 game as a LB this season, in a 5-3-2. The rest was in midfield. Could he cope playing in a back 4 in the EPL?
No problem. He is high engine player. Not a athletic machine like Robertson. Who run up and down the left side.
In the central spine. You need closest to world class.
GK - CB - CM - CF. A left back you can have Gosens level to be in top 2. Gosens has the same energy and guts as Neville and Robertson. You get to have top guts, fighting spirit and winning mentality/A winner. Then you can live with the level under the top when it come to ball skill.

But again. Shaw is not so worst and United have Williams. So...Gosens is a starter. So has to rotate with Shaw. A luxus problem. When you have Williams too.

But in the end. Never say never. Not sure many German players have played for United before. So Gosens might end up at Chelsea instead if Chillwell.
 

MattofManchester

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To be fair to Shaw, his injury was a freak one and an unlucky occurrence. Before that, he looked like he was heading down a decent path in terms of fitness.
 

Nou_Camp99

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Hasn't Telles only got a year left on his Porto deal? Feels like somebody will snap him up cheap this summer and we will all be wondering why it wasn't us. Probably City seeing how they badly need a new back with Mendy's injury worries.
 

MrSingh2002

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There's a number of available candidates and it's time go make the move. Especially as Shaw had half decent showings. There might be a couple of Premier League clubs that may want to take him.

We've never seen Shaw perform at a world class level so why not give another player a 5 year opportunity that he didn't take.
 

BrilliantOrange

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No problem. He is high engine player. Not a athletic machine like Robertson. Who run up and down the left side.
In the central spine. You need closest to world class.
GK - CB - CM - CF. A left back you can have Gosens level to be in top 2. Gosens has the same energy and guts as Neville and Robertson. You get to have top guts, fighting spirit and winning mentality/A winner. Then you can live with the level under the top when it come to ball skill.

But again. Shaw is not so worst and United have Williams. So...Gosens is a starter. So has to rotate with Shaw. A luxus problem. When you have Williams too.

But in the end. Never say never. Not sure many German players have played for United before. So Gosens might end up at Chelsea instead if Chillwell.
Disagree 100%

Gosens and Hateboer arent defenders in the Atalanta system.. The way they play is in no way comparable to a 4 man defense.. He is a high energy player 100%, but thats áll he and Hateboer do in that system.. Run into spaces attacking and narrow spaces defensive...

I also posted on this in the Atalanta thread..
" I dont think the bigger clubs should fall into the trap thinking all those players are suddenly word class.. Someone like Gosens is no where near good enough to play leftback on the highest (Champions League) level in a system with only 2 CB's.. Same holds for Hateboer on the right... "

https://www.redcafe.net/threads/atalanta-b-c.455256/post-25766570
 

Fosu-Mens

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If we are set on having AWB as our starting right sided fullback for the foreseeable future (a mistake in my eyes), we need a left sided fullback that is excellent on the ball and can cross with some accuracy from deep. Being able to contribute effectively in the build up and progression of the ball into the final third and offer a threat from wide... So that we are not being stopped by teams putting 10 men in the middle of the pitch and thus limiting the space and time on the ball for our midfielders...

A left back with the abilities that would make it look like he could function well as a midfielder is what we should look for.
From the EPL there are two standout alternatives: McNeil (Not currently a leftback) and Chilwell.
Guerrero at BVB, Telles and Grimaldo are other alternatives that on paper at least look like good options.

IMO Shaw and Williams are far from good enough on the ball to make up for AWB limitations when the team is in possession. Shaw is decent and not an obvious weak point besides when it comes to crossing and injuries and taking time to get fully fit, but does not really offer anything other than being a Zero-sum player. Williams is a future second option at best and with his aggressive mentality the ideal squad player (Like McT). So if we have the funds to get a more suitable left back we should, because none of our alternatives is good enough long term and playing Shaw/Williams/AWB will hinder our build-up/progressing of the ball next season.

The only fullback at our club that seems to have the abilities to function as a modern attacking fullback is Laird. And I can see the arguments of giving AWB 1-2 seasons to improve his attacking play and on the ball capabilities (Would require a total rework of his way of controlling the ball and is unlikely to be successful...) while waiting to see if Laird can stay fit and adapt to the EPL.
 

Infra-red

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If we are set on having AWB as our starting right sided fullback for the foreseeable future (a mistake in my eyes), we need a left sided fullback that is excellent on the ball and can cross with some accuracy from deep. Being able to contribute effectively in the build up and progression of the ball into the final third and offer a threat from wide... So that we are not being stopped by teams putting 10 men in the middle of the pitch and thus limiting the space and time on the ball for our midfielders...

A left back with the abilities that would make it look like he could function well as a midfielder is what we should look for.
From the EPL there are two standout alternatives: McNeil (Not currently a leftback) and Chilwell.
Guerrero at BVB, Telles and Grimaldo are other alternatives that on paper at least look like good options.

IMO Shaw and Williams are far from good enough on the ball to make up for AWB limitations when the team is in possession. Shaw is decent and not an obvious weak point besides when it comes to crossing and injuries and taking time to get fully fit, but does not really offer anything other than being a Zero-sum player. Williams is a future second option at best and with his aggressive mentality the ideal squad player (Like McT). So if we have the funds to get a more suitable left back we should, because none of our alternatives is good enough long term and playing Shaw/Williams/AWB will hinder our build-up/progressing of the ball next season.

The only fullback at our club that seems to have the abilities to function as a modern attacking fullback is Laird. And I can see the arguments of giving AWB 1-2 seasons to improve his attacking play and on the ball capabilities (Would require a total rework of his way of controlling the ball and is unlikely to be successful...) while waiting to see if Laird can stay fit and adapt to the EPL.
If we are looking for someone to progress the ball forward, then the following might be a useful reference:



https://totalfootballanalysis.com/data-analysis/using-data-identify-new-left-back-liverpool
 

Pennywise

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We definitely need someone to challenge Shaw. Preferably one capable of trying to stop crosses coming in and one who can take a man on going forward
 

golden_blunder

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Injuries aside

Shaw is a good player. Very solid defensively. Does get forward but his final delivery lets him down.

Why not bring someone like Beckham in to help drill time and time again on crossing. Beckham got good by spending hours just crossing, their players can learn too
 

Charles Miller

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There is an uruguayan lb named Matias Vina(22), who is playing for Palmeiras in Brazil. I think he is ready to go straight to a big league in europe, considering his technical and psychological charactetistics. Comparing him to other full backs that came from brazilian football in the last decade and did well in europe, i think he is in the path of the best ones.
 

Mark Pawelek

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There is an uruguayan lb named Matias Vina(22), who is playing for Palmeiras in Brazil. I think he is ready to go straight to a big league in europe, considering his technical and psychological charactetistics. Comparing him to other full backs that came from brazilian football in the last decade and did well in europe, i think he is in the path of the best ones.
4 gaols, 3 assists, 1 yellow card in 12 matches during 1052 minutes of Uruguayan league football is about all I can find out about him.
 

Fosu-Mens

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Bebestation

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Liverpool maybe looking at Jamal Lewis as a back up for robertson.

I'd personally like him here whilst keeping Shaw because it gives a defensive superior fullback (shaw) whilst giving us the attacking minded one as well (lewis).

I'd like this on the right as well - a defensive minded fullback (Wan Bissaka) and an attacking one(Laird?)

This allows us to be tactically flexible so I'd like to see it.
 

0le

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IMO Shaw and Williams are far from good enough on the ball to make up for AWB limitations when the team is in possession. Shaw is decent and not an obvious weak point besides when it comes to crossing and injuries and taking time to get fully fit, but does not really offer anything other than being a Zero-sum player.
What does zero-sum player mean? Is that when a player just does a job but nothing more, nothing less?
 

jamesjimmybyrondean

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I like Brandon Williams but he should be used as RB. Chong came in as left back with his left foot and had impacted the attack. We definitely need a back up left back this window
 

bond19821982

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We really need a left footed player there. The game actually changed when Chong came on. It may be because the opposition was tired but it does make a huge difference to have a left footed player .

Lewis is avaliable for 20m, Telles around 30m, that Real Madrid left back - all available.
Would be one of those windows where we have lot of options for cheap. Hope we take that opportunity.
 

gajender

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We need a proper Leftback despite Shaw's improvement because fitness wise he can't be relied upon but the question is whether we bring in an experienced one or a prospect. There are some interesting options currently available in the both the categories let's see how things pan out in summer.
 

MrSingh2002

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Sergio Reguilon is playing for Sevilla vs Roma atm if anyone wants to check him out.

Reguilon and Zaniolo the ones I'm looking out for.
 

MrSingh2002

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OMG Reguilon just scored a great goal with a forceful run. I'm sold after seeing 10 mins of him.

Willing runner!
 

Mark Pawelek

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We need a proper Leftback despite Shaw's improvement because fitness wise he can't be relied upon but the question is whether we bring in an experienced one or a prospect. There are some interesting options currently available in the both the categories let's see how things pan out in summer.
Didn't we sign 3 left-back prospects this summer?
Rhys Bennett, 16
Logan Pye, 16
Alvaro Fernandez, 17

It only makes sense to bring in an experienced LB.
 

Zoo

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I like Williams a lot but the lack of a left footed option really hurts our game. You know Shaw will pick up injuries every season so we need a backup.
 

Bwuk

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I think we need a right back and a left back. We obviously won’t go for a RB so would be happy to get a new LB.

Regulion?
 

Devil81

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Don't give up on Williams, he a fantastic talent.

Don't forget his age, his confidence is fantastic.
 

PlayerOne

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Don't give up on Williams, he a fantastic talent.

Don't forget his age, his confidence is fantastic.
He will make a better right back, he's very right footed.

We need a left back desperately this summer to back up Shaw. Should be up there with Sancho.
 

CM10

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We need another option there, definitely. I like Luke Shaw but when it's touch and go whether he'll play more than 30 games a season that's a concern.

Williams has looked limited going forward for a while but tonight he didn't look great defensively either, got roasted a couple of times. I don't think we'll get one until at least next summer though, Solskjaer seems to be a big fan of Williams.
 

Mark Pawelek

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We need another option there, definitely. I like Luke Shaw but when it's touch and go whether he'll play more than 30 games a season that's a concern.

Williams has looked limited going forward for a while but tonight he didn't look great defensively either, got roasted a couple of times. I don't think we'll get one until at least next summer though, Solskjaer seems to be a big fan of Williams.
United should give Williams games at right back. He's only 19 he should be judged playing at his strongest position.
 

RDCR07

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Don't give up on Williams, he a fantastic talent.

Don't forget his age, his confidence is fantastic.
I don’t think people are giving up on him. I think most of the arguments are to move him to RB, his more natural side and get a left footed backup for Shaw.