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Which was my point, he had some good games dotted around but it's a common theme to just say 'Apart from those 5-6 games when he first signed he's been shyte'
I genuinely don't get this view that a lot of people seem to have. How can he be the 'perfect' squad player but far from being good enough for the first team? The squad game is about having good options for various situations.
I'd say Mata is a perfect squad player for a club like us, not Lingard.
Well you said it. Say Martial, who we love. We all know what he does, don't we? Runs with the ball, takes people on, cuts inside. Occasionally thrilling, often ineffective. Lingard's movement is completely different, high energy, more unpredictable, more variation. Undoubtedly also sometimes ineffective but whatever way you look at it, it is different to what our other attackers offer. The squad game, as you say is about options.
Indeed some fans do that, on the flip side some others exaggerate the opposite way. Its why these performance threads become littered with extreme opinions, after any given game you will see ''brilliant performance'' followed by ''horrible performance'' to describe Fellaini or Lingard. When the truth more often than not is they've just been average.
Mata is so much more productive than Lingard, if I am not wrong he was even our second highest scorer last season while Lingard managed 1 League goal and 1 assist.
He doesnt, that's the problem though. He does not score goals and does not provide assists. All his movement and workrate is great but if it's not in the final third, creating chance after chance, it does not help us much. He lacks a final ball badly and his stats last season were terrible for an attacking player. I have serious doubts he can improve that though
Proving my point exactly, they both had exactly the same amount of appearances last season..
Using league stats is hardly hand selecting mate.. It's probably the most accurate method of measuring player performances as the level of competition is a lot more even, compared to say the league cup when you come up against teams like Northampton.
Not sure underrated is the word to use to describe an attacking player who scores one league goal in a season.
It definitely is a word that can be used for a player that LVG & Jose consistently uses.
That can't be right can it?
It is because it is completely ignoring about 40% of his minutes played and 4 goals and an assist for Lingard. None of which were against lower league opposition and two of which were against PL teams and vital in winning us trophies. Just as it would be to completely disregard how important Mkhi was in Europe for us when judging his season.
Exactly, if he could actually play a few decent games during the actual season it would be better and fans would get off his back, maybe third time lucky?
When the feck did preseason friendlies become the yardstick for judging a United player?
Haha...visit the Lindelof thread and the Nervous United players thread.
I'm not judging him purely on pre season, it was more of an observation than anything.
Aye, that was the game all players needed, especially Lingard. Hopefully we won't get ambushed in the CL after such intensive session.
I don't agree with your maths.
Yeah, his inability to spot a pass is the real issue. He moves okay, can hit a ball and finds a way to get open off the ball but if you're a winger who doesn't score goals you really do need to be creating a lot of chances for others.
Nah.
I agree not United standard for me. The same class of player as Tom Cleverley. Will eventually go to a mid table team then not get a game. For instance West Ham have better players than Lingard.
