Manchester United: Grading The Squad For 2017/18

Juan Mata

Mata wasn't as influential as you'd have wanted him to be

Juan Mata has not been a regular feature in this Manchester United lineup. He has also not had a bad season but by his standards, he really should have done better.

Mata's slow pace and lack of strength have worked against him this season and his defensive contribution and composure in front of goal left a lot to be desired. He missed a very good opportunity against Liverpool and then against Arsenal from right in front of goal.

Mata has not been able to exert his influence on games and it's not likely that he will have a greater role to play in the future.

Phil Jones

Phil Jones needs to be more consistent and that's about it. We know it all, we've seen it and read it before. He has a lot of potential and the talent to back it but then again, like in the FA Cup final against Chelsea, he gets caught flat-footed and then lunges in to do the unthinkable.

Jonesy just goes from being United's best defender on the pitch on one day to having a shocker in the next. Next season, he really should shirk off the lethargy and step up to the plate. Come on, we know you got it in you, Phil.

Michael Carrick

Michael Carrick bid goodbye to Old Trafford as a player

Last season at the club. Missed out on a lot due to injury. But Michael Carrick was able to put in decent shifts when he was available. There's really not much to be said here. The legacy will live on.

The languid elegance of Michael Carrick will be missed at Manchester United. Thank you, Michael. Hope you go on to do great things from behind the scenes.

About the author

Shambhu is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda who focuses on previews, listicles and news articles. An ardent Manchester United supporter since before his teenage years, he started following the Red Devils by age 10 watching MUTV on television. Shambhu is also a highly-revered rapper and a playback singer on Spotify, having a whopping 1 million monthly listeners.

For his articles, Shambhu believes in triple-checking every piece of information, relying on trusted websites like Transfermarkt and Opta, and staying away from speculative publications. He believes that his law degree helped him to be more articulate and meticulous with his content and one of his core strengths is seamlessly involving emotion in his write-ups owing to the love for the sport. For Sportskeeda, has done exclusive interviews with Spanish legends Gaizka Mendieta and Fernando Morientes so far, and his articles boast of a huge readership of close to 50 million.

Shambhu's favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and the Argentine attaining glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment. He believes only Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland could replicate Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's rivalry in the years to come. His favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson due to the Scot's unmatched longevity at the top.

Know More

Edited by Shruti Sadbhav