[Nou_Camp99]

Given the investment I can’t see us looking for a right back anytime soon. Unless it is Laird, as he is from within. But it’s either Laird or Wan-Bissaka over the next few years I think.

That's fine with me as I have high hopes for Laird. Him Garner and Greenwood looked the 3 best from what I have seen and Mejbri too who is a little younger and behind them in development but equally exciting.

Wan Bissaka just isn't PL challenging quality. Don't think Shaw is either though.

 

[Revan]

That's fine with me as I have high hopes for Laird. Him Garner and Greenwood looked the 3 best from what I have seen and Mejbri too who is a little younger and behind them in development but equally exciting.

Wan Bissaka just isn't PL challenging quality. Don't think Shaw is either though.

Unfortunately, I have to agree with this. I mean, just check Liverpool. On TAA and Robertson, their fullbacks offer more creativity in one match than AWB and Shaw in an entire season. How are we gonna compete against that with Shaw and AWB?

 

[Nou_Camp99]

Unfortunately, I have to agree with this. I mean, just check Liverpool. On TAA and Robertson, their fullbacks offer more creativity in one match than AWB and Shaw in an entire season. How are we gonna compete against that with Shaw and AWB?

We won't. Its not the only reason of course but its a big reason we are 31pts off the dippers. We have to rely on Pogba n Bruno or the forwards to make their own chances far too often. The fullbacks get acres of space and usually leads to nothing.

 

[Adam-Utd]

I was one of the first to call him out for being a poor player. This was before Christmas and you can check back in this thread.

He's a good tackler and that's about it. This is not a £50m fullback. He looks like a championship player when he gets the ball. He's a bad signing.

Ethan Laird needs to come into the fold next season and I'm confident he can take this guys place. You can't be a fullback for a team aspiring to be champions again and not be able to play. He's just not good enough on the ball and his spider tackles don't make up for it I'm afraid.

Doherty or Pereira would have been a much better signing.

And you’re one of the first to be wrong too.

Doherty is not a patch on AWB ffs

the guy has played every match and every minute minus being subbed like once at the end of the game. The guy is clearly struggling and very tired. His speed doesn’t seem to be there right now, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s playing injured.

compare how most of the season has gone and pretty much nobody got down the outside of him. In the last few games there’s been more threat from his side than I can remember.

he needs a rest but with shaw out and Dalot being poor we haven’t had much choice.

 

[sp_107]

He's not a better defender, but overall Shaw is the better player. I'm amazed at how poorly some people rate his ability on the ball just because his crossing isn't great, and even that has improved considerably in recent weeks.

Means we wasted another 50M on a player can’t take us to next level ? God, what happensd to our scouting/analytical department ?

I really envy pool in this regard

 

[RedSky]

I like AWB tbh, he's looked exhausted for several games. He's going to be a very useful player to have in the coming seasons and will clearly improve. However, if Laird manages to make the step up then AWB will be under huge pressure as Laird is significantly better going forward. But even if AWB eventually loses his starting position to Laird (big, big if), AWB as a defensive option will be very useful and just allows us more tactical options. Clearly not money wasted and I think people expected far too much from a player entering only his 2nd top flight season. He's still a rookie.

 

[Revan]

Means we wasted another 50M on a player can’t take us to next level ? God, what happensd to our scouting/analytical department ?

I really envy pool in this regard

Pool: 82 m for Van Dijk and Robertson (they got TAA from the academy so using Robertson on the other side of the pitch for comparison).
United: 135m for Maguire and AWB.

Totally different scouting abilities.

 

[Rozay]

That's fine with me as I have high hopes for Laird. Him Garner and Greenwood looked the 3 best from what I have seen and Mejbri too who is a little younger and behind them in development but equally exciting.

Wan Bissaka just isn't PL challenging quality. Don't think Shaw is either though.

I’m also a huge Laird fan, but as we know, there are no certainties with academy products. My point is, if Laird doesn’t turn out as amazing and replace AWB, I doubt we’ll be looking for a different RB to do so. We paid too much for him, and he’s our choice, for better or worse.

 

[Revan]

I like AWB tbh, he's looked exhausted for several games. He's going to be a very useful player to have in the coming seasons and will clearly improve. However, if Laird manages to make the step up then AWB will be under huge pressure as Laird is significantly better going forward. But even if AWB eventually loses his starting position to Laird (big, big if), AWB as a defensive option will be very useful and just allows us more tactical options. Clearly not money wasted and I think people expected far too much from a player entering only his 2nd top flight season. He's still a rookie.

I think it has more to do with people finding his lack of technique not acceptable. From all skills, improving the technique is by far the most difficult one. It is essentially the 'talent'. Players either have it, or don't. So, it is a bit hard to see AWB improving much on that aspect.

Of course, I hope that he can improve his positioning and aerial ability, in which case he would become a great defender. Probably not good enough for a title-challenging team (unless the other fullback is TAA-calibre of player), but quite good. As it is, he combines very bad passing/attacking skills, with great tackling but average/poor positioning and really bad aerial ability (only 40.6% aerial duels won from 59 attempts, Shaw has 56.6% success rate in 53 attempts, Lindelof is at 64% from 139 attempts, while Maguire is at 72% from 235 attempts). So, like it or not, one of the reasons why we are weak aerially is because of him. Nevertheless, he has the required high for that part to not be a weakness, but unfortunately, I don't see how his technique is gonna improve. People even have it, or they don't.

Hopefully Laird develops good enough to bench him soon.

 

[studs]

50 million on a pair of sticks, totally mugged off.

 

[limerickcitykid]

Unfortunately, I have to agree with this. I mean, just check Liverpool. On TAA and Robertson, their fullbacks offer more creativity in one match than AWB and Shaw in an entire season. How are we gonna compete against that with Shaw and AWB?

And on Bruno and Pogba our midfield offer more creativity in one match than theirs in an entire season. Almost like different teams play with different set ups.

Shaw is easily one of the best LBs in the league and been one of our best players since the return. Even AWB with his massive deficiencies is still one of the better RBs in the league too.

 

[broccoli]

Him and James were two pointless signings by Ole. Dalot has the highest potential of all your fb's just needs game time. AWB won't get much better than this.

 

[#CR7]

The guy literally just needs a rest.

We saw how much he's improved his game after lockdown but he looks physically and mentally drained which explains the lapses in concentration.

Hopefully we can start giving Laird some game time next season so he doesn't have to play every single game like this season.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

Him and James were two pointless signings by Ole. Dalot has the highest potential of all your fb's just needs game time. AWB won't get much better than this.

He can't defend.

 

[Valencia's Left Foot]

Our scouting did a poor job on this guy, he's decent but nothing more.

Agreed. Someone got lost in the tackling stats and didn’t actually see what was going on with this guy. He’s not the answer unfortunately. Hopefully someone within the academy can step up so we don’t have to throw more money at the problem.

 

[#CR7]

Agreed. Someone got lost in the tackling stats and didn’t actually see what was going on with this guy. He’s not the answer unfortunately. Hopefully someone within the academy can step up so we don’t have to throw more money at the problem.

Positionally he is a bit suspect but he's still young enough to improve this aspect of his game.

His performance today is a mixture of fatigue and us playing the wrong system in the first half.

 

[Litch]

I stepped away from the keyboard for a mo as often a loss triggers the worse response in me. AWB no doubt is struggling at mo but doesn't deserve being written off....

 

[MikeKing]

He is younger than Rashford, yet some have already written him off because of a few bad performances at the end of the season. Completely ignoring his contribution to our unbeaten run, and the fact he has been one of our most consistent performers this season. Jesus tough crowd, like you can't wait to rant and rave and complain about the fee to label him a flop, no better than the media doing the embarrassing 'Martial waste of money' headline back then. Some fans even now is still upset about Martial being at this club, the media they're pandering to you geeks so keep eating that shit up. So predictable.

 

[Litch]

Positionally he is a bit suspect but he's still young enough to improve this aspect of his game.

His performance today is a mixture of fatigue and us playing the wrong system in the first half.

Spot on. The 5 at the back suits more the attacking FB than the defensive one.....

 

[Litch]

He is younger than Rashford, yet some have already written him off because of a few bad performances at the end of the season. Completely ignoring his contribution to our unbeaten run, and the fact he has been one of our most constant performers this season. Jesus tough crowd, like you can't wait to rant and rave and complain about the fee to label him a flop, no better than the media doing the embarrassing 'Martial waste of money' headline back then. Some fans even now is still upset about Martial being at this club, the media they're pandering to you geeks so keep eating that shit up. So predictable.

Never takes long for the vultures start circling. The funny thing is these people never say anything when we are winning....

 

[Chinchy98]

Has been fantastic all season, I think he’s a Jose player though... absolutely perfect for the low block. Few bad games are to be expected , we’ve seen enough to know that the boy is good enough.

Would like to see his attacking side to improve a fair bit. And for heavens sake Aaron, stop miscontrolling the ball when receiving a cross field switch. It makes me want to tear my hair out!

He’s going to be fine, don’t sweat it guys

 

[#CR7]

Spot on. The 5 at the back suits more the attacking FB than the defensive one.....

Unfortunately we cant afford to rest AWB in either of the next two games.

My instructions to him would be to focus on his defensive duties and help us get us a clean sheet.

Too much is being asked of him right now and fitness just doesn't allow him to carry out those responsibilities.

 

[led_scholes]

Unfortunately we cant afford to rest AWB in either of the next two games.

My instructions to him would be to focus on his defensive duties and help us get us a clean sheet.

Too much is being asked of him right now and fitness just doesn't allow him to carry out those responsibilities.

Thats why it was a huge mistake that he played vs Chelsea. Even our system demanded an attacking Fb. Instead, we use an exhausted defensive Fb..

 

[Web of Bissaka]

Knives are out again I see..

Forgot about his great performances in past games even against the many big teams?

 

[Bastian]

Knives are out again I see..

Forgot about his great performances in past games even against the many big teams?

We all know he can add to his game going forward. But if people really want to open their eyes, then they'd see that he's completely exhausted.

If it was any other manager, they'd be clued up logically that overplaying players will affect their performances.

 

[Revan]

I stepped away from the keyboard for a mo as often a loss triggers the worse response in me. AWB no doubt is struggling at mo but doesn't deserve being written off....

What does it mean to be written off?

Do players significantly improve their technique after they are 21? Not that I can remember off. He won't magically get better technique and passing ability. It is a talent thing, either you have or you don't.

Can he improve positioning and aerial ability? I hope so. It is perfectly reasonable to expect that those parts of his game are gonna get improved. Thing is, even if that happens, he won't become a top-class right back because of his weak technique. Especially not in the modern game where full-backs are as important at attacking as they are at defending.

 

[Eyepopper]

He's what, 22? Yeah, if he's not the complete player by now he's never gonna be, and I don't care if he's proven as the best defensive RB in the league, it's time to ship him out, he's had a season!

 

[#CR7]

Thats why it was a huge mistake that he played vs Chelsea. Even our system demanded an attacking Fb. Instead, we use an exhausted defensive Fb..

True, but playing Dalot instead of him could've been even worse considering we were pinned in our own half against their high press for parts of the game.

 

[Revan]

He's what, 22? Yeah, if he's not the complete player by now he's never gonna be, and I don't care if he's proven as the best defensive RB in the league, it's time to ship him out, he's had a season!

Can you name some players who significantly improved their technique after being 21 years old?

Who said to ship him out?

 

[SambaBoy]

The ball came out to the right late in the game, and excellent touch out his game ready to attack, I immediately thought that's what he should be doing every time and was very unlike AWB. Must have missed when TFM came on to replace him.

 

[E-mal]

I think people are just irritated by his lack of footballing ability, i.e passing, control and crossing. He is technically not a top 6 full back, at best midtable.

 

[ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg]

He's what, 22? Yeah, if he's not the complete player by now he's never gonna be, and I don't care if he's proven as the best defensive RB in the league, it's time to ship him out, he's had a season!

I don’t know whether I’ve missed your sarcasm, or whether this is just one of the worst posts I’ve seen.

Get a grip, it’s his first season at a top club and he’s knackered.

Why don’t you get behind our players. He’s not going anywhere.

 

[E-mal]

Knives are out again I see..

Forgot about his great performances in past games even against the many big teams?

I just dont know mate, I have nothing agaisnt AWB or web of bissaka but can you honestly say for a full back, his technique is up to scratch? He is very poor on the ball at least for 60m great british pounds.

He just looks terrified of the ball when he is about recieving a pass. He is always not ready and his body shape is awkward everytime!
We got seriously mugged for the amount we paid considering the deficiencies in his game. Hakimi may not be solid defensively but you can see the technique. Ricardo was far cheaper at 20m or so but you could see his technical ability.

I just hope Ethan Laird can give him a run for his money next season.

 

[M Bison]

The lad is knackered, it’s been a long season for him where he’s played nearly every minute. Ready for a rest and well earned. Been an excellent first season for him, although tailed off towards the end.

A run of bad form and another of our players is written off by the caf experts, likely the same bunch that wanted to “burst Rashy’s bubble”

 

[jamesjimmybyrondean]

Awb hasn't even been good defensively surely that's an indication that he is tired.

 

[Nanook]

Pool: 82 m for Van Dijk and Robertson (they got TAA from the academy so using Robertson on the other side of the pitch for comparison).
United: 135m for Maguire and AWB.

Totally different scouting abilities.

There’s a lot of luck involved in these things. Liverpool also bought Keita for about as much as we paid for Fernandes for.

 

[Nou_Camp99]

Nobody is judging him on bad games. Everyone has those. I'm judging him on his ability on the ball. Not up to Utd standard and certainly not 50m. We've been done by Palace there.

 

[Ludens the Red]

The lad is knackered, it’s been a long season for him where he’s played nearly every minute. Ready for a rest and well earned. Been an excellent first season for him, although tailed off towards the end.

A run of bad form and another of our players is written off by the caf experts, likely the same bunch that wanted to “burst Rashy’s bubble”

Not that I’m gonna criticise AWB but this did make me laugh a bit. We literally had three months without a game.

 

[cyberman]

We all know he can add to his game going forward. But if people really want to open their eyes, then they'd see that he's completely exhausted.

If it was any other manager, they'd be clued up logically that overplaying players will affect their performances.

Exactly. I cant understand how people are marrying up these criticisms with the fact he was our starting RB in our great run of attacking form. Not just that but a big part of our attackibg input from the right.

 

[Revan]

There’s a lot of luck involved in these things. Liverpool also bought Keita for about as much as we paid for Fernandes for.

I agree. It just sucks to see them having the best CB in the world, a top talent CB, the best RB in the world (from their academy) and arguably the best LB in the world whom they got for 7m.