[podurban2]

Didn't realize he was that old. Not a proper kid then?!

Which is why most people on here began to write him off. It is really now or never for Varela. If he finds himself in a substitute position next year when he turns 24 it's difficult to see him staying here tbh.

 

[sammsky1]

Which is why most people on here began to write him off. It is really now or never for Varela. If he finds himself in a substitute position next year when he turns 24 it's difficult to see him staying here tbh.

Depends on what he wants? As cover for Valencia ans Darmian at RB, he has a role. Valencia only has a season or 2 left anyway.

He could get 10-15 games like that if he can perform

 

[m1y2]

As someone above said, he's Rafael MK II, hopefully stays away from injuries.

All of sudden, we seem to have incredible depth at the FB position. He and Riley were outstanding tonight.

I said it like two years ago but he never looked like he was gonna get a chance. He's better runner with the ball though, looks very direct, just need to add a bit of defensive stabilit to his game but Rafael was a bit hit and miss in his early games as well.. Lingard racking back helps him a lot too. Happy for the lad, he has defo better potential than Darmian. We need to play him as much as possible he will iron out some of his positioning mistakes as time goes but never on the bench

 

[Gerald G]

A great performance from him today. He deserves more game time and I was screaming this earlier i n the season. The bad thing is that I Valencia will probably come back and take his place, annoyingly.

But he needs to keep this up and I would prefer him playing over Valencia or even Young when he comes back.

 

[podurban2]

Depends on what he wants? As cover for Valencia ans Darmian at RB, he has a role. Valencia only has a season or 2 left anyway.

He could get 10-15 games like that if he can perform

At that point I'd rather see us invest in a younger player though. Still too early to say, but I really think this season will determine his future here.

 

[Charlie Foley]

Thought he was really good tonight. Deserves a run in the side. Don't think I've seen a bad performance from him yet.

 

[sammsky1]

Thought he was really good tonight. Deserves a run in the side. Don't think I've seen a bad performance from him yet.

Nah, I'd rather we got Darmian, Jones, Valencia or even young back asap. Can't belive we are forced into playing 5th choice right back!!!!

 

[Giant Midget]

I like Darmian a lot, but Varela is a much more dynamic player than him and better suited to a system with inverted wingers.

Hope he can push on and add some defensive nous to his game .

 

[stepic]

He was terrific tonight.

 

[Cerpin]

He's a very entertaining player. Real live wire.

 

[Joemo]

Nah, I'd rather we got Darmian, Jones, Valencia or even young back asap. Can't belive we are forced into playing 5th choice right back!!!!

You call him a fifth choice right back after listing 3 makeshift right backs? That's not how it works.

He should be behind Darmian really, even vying for his place. He's a ready made replacement, extremely talented and comfortable on the ball, looks defensively sound for the most part and clearly contributes in attack.

 

[sammsky1]

You call him a fifth choice right back after listing 3 makeshift right backs? That's not how it works.

He should be behind Darmian really, even vying for his place. He's a ready made replacement, extremely talented and comfortable on the ball, looks defensively sound for the most part and clearly contributes in attack.

Sure but as LVG has proven many times already, he does not care about age or reputation... So why has Valera not played before now when Valencia and Young both got game time at right back?

 

[Brightonian]

I'd say he's now earned the right to be fighting for the spot with Darmian. Which is great. I like them both.

Disappointing season for Manchester United Football Club, great year for Manchester United Fullbacks Ltd.

 

[JackXX]

Very good performance. Nice to have fullbacks threatening the opposition so much.

 

[NinjaZombie]

Depends on what he wants? As cover for Valencia ans Darmian at RB, he has a role. Valencia only has a season or 2 left anyway.

He could get 10-15 games like that if he can perform

Cover for Valencia? He's arguably put in better performances than both him and Darmian. I'd put him ahead of Valencia at this stage.

 

[suheilsworld]

Really liked the look of him. He could be a good back up to Darmian or who knows make the place his. That will help Valencia move up and not play defense. Had some good marauding runs too.

 

[suheilsworld]

Isn't he a Moyes signing?

 

[entropy]

What strikes me more than anything is how confident he while in possession. He doesn't rush & comes across as mature than several other players his age. Really looking forward to him in action more often.

 

[Golden Nugget]

The only complaint I have against him is that his first touch can let him down at times - which was less evident of him today. Otherwise, I think he's been good - definitely works hard for the team and I hope he continues to get chances.

 

[Spock]

Isn't he a Moyes signing?

I believe he was the first Moyesian signing. He had a rough go on the personal front and then maybe a bad injury slowed him down. But here he is now and he's looked very good on the few chances he's been given.

We're going to have a Darmian v Varela debate and based on what we've seen so far of both Varela offers more than Darmian. But let's see how he acquits himself over the next few months while Darmian is out.

 

[m1y2]

Really liked the look of him. He could be a good back up to Darmian or who knows make the place his. That will help Valencia move up and not play defense. Had some good marauding runs too.

why would he be backup to Darmian? because he didnt cost 13million? bullshit, its easy to see that he's better talent than him, needs work on his first touch and balance in attacking/defensive positioning, sometimes he's too aggressive but Rafael was also like that and he became a great defender after playing decent amount of games. Darmian is just shocking going forward, lacks any kind of speed, you can say that he is defensively quite sound but he was skinned many times as well like against Arsenal. I dont see any reason why the Italian should start ahead of Varela, modern fullbacks should be able to overlap and have good ability on the ball. Also Varela seemed very good defensively for U21, just needs to adjust his game to higher tempo in intensity in the premier league and he will come good. Darmian is just average player and Tony V is halfway gone bt wouldnt mind him as RB backup for a while, not sure as winger, Pereira coud do well there as false winger, certainly has better mobility than Mata who is a similar player but slower and less mobile than him..

 

[m1y2]

Sure but as LVG has proven many times already, he does not care about age or reputation... So why has Valera not played before now when Valencia and Young both got game time at right back?

he doesnt but he just likes some players more than others ie Fellaini, Rooney, Blackett inclusions, it was also a big risk to put in an unproven player unless everybody is injured. Its not like Rashford got his chance ahead of Martial/Rooney/Keane because Vangle rates him higher... In a sense these injuries helped to open eyes of the manager and to us as well. Nobody really cared about Varela until they got their chance and showed they are more than capable until now they were quite overrated youngsters from our academy who should never be given chance over proven players like Darmian..

 

[suheilsworld]

Spoiler

Really liked the look of him. He could be a good back up to Darmian or who knows make the place his. That will help Valencia move up and not play defense. Had some good marauding runs too.

why would he be backup to Darmian? because he didnt cost 13million? bullshit, its easy to see that he's better talent than him, needs work on his first touch and balance in attacking/defensive positioning, sometimes he's too aggressive but Rafael was also like that and he became a great defender after playing decent amount of games. Darmian is just shocking going forward, lacks any kind of speed, you can say that he is defensively quite sound but he was skinned many times as well like against Arsenal. I dont see any reason why the Italian should start ahead of Varela, modern fullbacks should be able to overlap and have good ability on the ball. Also Varela seemed very good defensively for U21, just needs to adjust his game to higher tempo in intensity in the premier league and he will come good. Darmian is just average player and Tony V is halfway gone bt wouldnt mind him as RB backup for a while, not sure as winger, Pereira coud do well there as false winger, certainly has better mobility than Mata who is a similar player but slower and less mobile than him..

I did mention that he could make his place his own. On current form and performances, I have no doubt that he should be starting ahead of Darmian. Let Darmian rotate when Varela needs to be rested, provided Varela can continue his good run and become consistent.

 

[limerickcitykid]

FWIW their best player (one who is being scouted by a few top clubs) was up against him and he only got involved when he moved away from Varela.

Aye, he along with Lingard did a great job of closing him down the second he got the ball. They were both up his ass, kicking at his heels and he didn't get an inch. Was fantastic play by the pair of them.

So happy he has finally got a chance and he has brought his u21 performances straight into the first team. He isn't the strongest and struggles in the air but so does the vast majority of fullbacks. He is a great tackler though and has great pace. He can be caught out of position at times but again what fullback isn't? Darmian and Valencia certainly are. There is also the added bonus of him actually offering something going forward. Something actually good too, he is direct and quickens the play making loads of space for himself and the rest of the team. He has show in the u21s and now in the first team to have quite a good delivery on him as well. I just hope he continues to get to play at least against weaker teams once Valencia is back.

 

[Devil81]

I hope he stays and is part of the squad from now on, certainly has more potential than Darmian for me.

 

[NoPace]

Very good in tight space and mobile. That's a good start for a fullback. Defensively, I think he's a bit lost at times but considering his inexperience, that's certainly not a dealbreaker yet.

Darmian and Varela competing at RB, Shaw and a variety of backups (Rojo, Blind, CBJ) at LB. Sign players elsewhere.

 

[nevillestache]

If he continues in the same vein you can see him becoming a real fan favourite.

 

[Redguern]

Aye, he along with Lingard did a great job of closing him down the second he got the ball. They were both up his ass, kicking at his heels and he didn't get an inch. Was fantastic play by the pair of them.

Spot on observation. Can't believe how so many people are panning Lingard's performance, ignoring this aspect of his play. Memphis was MOTM but plenty of threat came from the right whilst we nullified them on that side for most of the game. Guillermo and Jesse deserve credit for that.

 

[WR10]

I've been really keen on finding a negative in his past few performances and I can't pinpoint something massive. He's quick af

 

[Escobar]

Going forward he's been excellent but he needs to become more solid at the back defending

 

[Rozay]

I've been advocating him getting a chance since his first year with us, and have always found it strange how long it has taken for him to be involved. After a few shaky months, he was excellent for the 21s even in his first season, and with Rafael injured at times, I kept assuming it was only natural for him to play, but he never did. I recall Phil Neville name-checking him once, but nothing came of it - but it was clear he was a first team player to me.

He also cost us nearly £3m, so I always thought that we signed him to play him anyway. His journey to the first-team has been odd. I mean, signed for relatively big money, impresses in reserves, then loaned to fecking Real Madrid (not Scunthorpe!) all before his debut.

And despite him being slight, he's also an excellent defender, and will only get better at it. He's so tenacious, and has been amongst our best defenders in all of his games. Against Wolfsburg particularly, he bailed us out many times, and won many tackles.

 

[Thisistheone]

Didn't realise he was 23 either. Still pretty young for a defender, though.

Our full back options are suddenly looking healthy:

Shaw
Borthwick-Jackson
Rojo
Riley

Darmian
Varela
Riley

There's not much call for playing Young or Valencia there anymore imo.

 

[AltiUn]

He and Shaw make our flanks for the future look brilliant, what I did like was how he and Lingard were closing down so well. Bodes well for the Arsenal game if they can do that again against Sanchez who tore Darmain a new one last time with no defensive support from Mata.

 

[AltiUn]

Didn't realise he was 23 either. Still pretty young for a defender, though.

Our full back options are suddenly looking healthy:

Shaw
Borthwick-Jackson
Rojo
Riley

Darmian
Varela
Riley

There's not much call for playing Young or Valencia there anymore imo.

Yeah, it'll be nice to see the right side playing with such a high defensive work rate.

 

[Thisistheone]

Yeah, it'll be nice to see the right side playing with such a high defensive work rate.

Yeah, Lingard helped Varela out a fair bit, but Varela also helped Jesse out going forward as well. A good understanding there already.

I really like Riley as well though and since he's naturally a right sided player then it makes sense to give him a go at RB as well when Darmian & Varela are out. He may even out-do both as he impressed me the most last night & looks to have huge potential.

 

[Adisa]

Madrid had a buyout on him which they didn't take up IIRC.

They didn't.

 

[Di Maria's angel]

His willingness to charge forward, for me, drove us on. Bar Shaw, our full backs have been crap going forward, but he and Riley looked determined to drive forward, and with quality, too.

I do think that the fact that we have so many injuries allows our youngsters to play without the fear of being dropped.

 

[Brightonian]

He's actually got a touch of Bellerin about him. Not quite that fast, but very quick nonetheless, with the same deft touch and decisive forward forays. Needs to slightly shift the balance back towards defending, but what young fullback doesn't? Well, Shaw, but he's the exception that proves the rule.

Bar Shaw, our full backs have been crap going forward

And CBJ.

 

[Trigg]

I like him, I think he can be a bit suspect defensively but I love his willingness and confidence to get forward. So yeah I like him, a lot actually.

 

[Winrar]

I'm really hoping he gets more chances and becomes a part of the team in the long run, even if only as a squad player.