stevoc
Full Member
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- Jun 11, 2011
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No, he wasn't. Falcao was signed a whole year later. Welbeck was considered expendable enough that he was sold on deadline day, without replacement. He saw himself as a striker, and LvG disagreed. That disagreement is what lead to him opting to leave. Could he have been a decent option to have out wide? Sure, but he didn't want to stay and be a decent option to have out wide, he wanted to go elsewhere and be a striker.
Nope and nope.
Welbeck signs for Arsenal 2nd Spetember 2014
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/29023952#:~:text=Arsenal have signed Manchester United,," a club statement read.
Falcao signs for United 2nd Spetember 2014
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/29011493
Literally the same day.
Darmian was bang average, but he was at least available most of the time. Rafael wasn't, and was also in decline. At age 25. Tony V had basically already replaced him as starting RB at that point. Darmian essentially replaced Rafael as back-up RB, even if that wasn't the intention originally.
If Darmian had been bang average it would have been an improvement, he was absolute dogshit. And people seem to forget he was quite injury prone the first 2 years here.
Valencia became first choice at RB long term because Darmian was so dogshit, the season before he only ended up there after Van Gaal basically put Rafael on ice and stopped picking him.
But anyway we're off topic, so if you want to continue this discussion no problem, but let's move it to another thread yes?