Can’t dribble, can’t finish: Time for Man United to sell this expensive star?

Ashley Young

It has been far from a bed of roses for Ashley Young since he was signed by Manchester United in the summer of 2011, with injuries and poor form accounting for that. He enjoyed a decent outing in the 4-0 Capital One Cup victory over Norwich City and was hoping to be involved in the match against Fulham, which United won, but he never got off the bench. The Daily Express reports that he is one of four players that manager David Moyes apparently wants to axe in January. But is it really time for the club to cut its losses, or should he be given more time?

Young’s view is clear; he thinks he has unfinished business at the club. In truth, however, United have been lacking influence and consistency in their wide areas, and Young’s contributions to date show him to be part of the problem rather than the solution.

Adnan Januzaj has made a huge impact out wide because of the unpredictability he brings when in possession of the ball. He, like Young, has a good change of pace, but his vision is better. More than just a winger, Januzaj likes to drift inside and toward the opposite flank in order to link up with team-mates as well as take on opponents using his box of tricks. He has completed an average of 2.3 take-on’s per game in his six league appearances.

He also likes to try and split the defence open with a through ball, doing so on two occasions already. He is capable of hurting the opposition in different ways. If one way doesn’t work, he simply tries another. He isn’t limited in what he can do. As a result, defenders find him to be a real handful, hard to contain.

Ashley Young Duels Won

Young’s style is different, but that’s not the problem. The problem is that the things he did so well at Aston Villa–teasing defenders before cutting inside to either lay the ball off or shoot–he has been unable to do as well at United. Taking on opponents is a key element of his game on the left flank, but he averaged less than one successful take-on per game last season (0.5) and has maintained that record so far this season (0.8). If he can’t beat his man, then he can’t provide the telling cross. Even when he got the opportunities last season, the final ball was often disappointing. The same goes for this season.

As for his shooting, that was and remains disappointing too. Averaging 1.1 shots per game last season, he failed to score in his 19 appearances. He is yet to score so far this season, but he is averaging just 0.5 shots per game. Having offered little to nothing so far, it’s no wonder, then, why he is out-of-favour.

Quite clearly, there is much room for improvement, but Young would need time to make those improvements. Time is something the 28-year-old England international doesn’t have, however. If he can’t make an impact when called upon, then Moyes would be justified in his decision to cut him loose.