Expected XI for Manchester United against Fulham - Part 3
Midfielder: Darren Fletcher
One of the most talented yet underrated midfielders, Darren Fletcher has proved himself to be a first team player, one season after another. The Scottish midfielder has already made over 250 appearances for the club since making his first team debut in 2001. The player is the product of United’s youth academy and knows his job well. For Manchester United, Fletcher was phenomenal last season. The midfielder has provided some important assists, including the winning goal against AC Milan at San Siro. The player has the ability to play in the heart of the midfield, as well as featuring as a defensive midfielder. Fletcher scored the second goal against Newcastle United, which was expertly set up by striker Wayne Rooney. The player’s turn was perfect as he found himself in front of an empty goal. Fletcher has now become part and parcel of United’s midfield and would be looking to utilize his long ball and defence splitting passes to the strikers. The midfielder takes full advantage of his height, which enables him to effectively win aerial battles. The player has also scored some key goals as well, scoring 20 goals in all competition. However, his job is not to score goals but to make them and that is what he is best at. Fletcher has God gifted vision for timely runs and his passes are almost perfect. The player is thus expected to start against Fulham and would be looking to keep possession and unleash an inch perfect pass for the strikers to capitalize upon.
Midfielder: Paul Scholes
There are no words suitable to describe the class of veteran Paul Scholes. The 35-year-old is one of the rare “one club men”, having spent his entire career with Manchester United. The player joined Manchester United back in 1994, and has featured in every season. Scholes was phenomenal against Newcastle, assisting the first and the last goal. The player played better than perhaps all the midfielders present in the country and reminded everyone why he is still at the club. The midfielder deserved the man-of-the-match award owing to his skills with the ball as well as his important assists. The pass to Dimitar Berbatov was inch perfect, which led to the opening goal. Paul Scholes then expertly made the final goal of the game when he found Ryan Giggs on the left wing, who then expertly found the back of the net. The player has made over 645 appearances for the club and is just one short of 150 goals for Manchester United. Scholes doesn’t seem to age and has been given the green signal by Sir Alex that he can prolong his career if he can continue with his form and fitness. This was the second man-of-the-match award in a row for the English, who produced an impressive performance against Chelsea in the Community Shield match. Paul Scholes will no doubt start for United and would partner Fletcher right in the heart of the midfield.
Right wing: Antonio Valencia
The speedy Ecuadorian winger has been one of the very best last season. The player joined United just a year back and was considered to be a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo. Both of them cannot be compared however, but Valencia had an outstanding first season for United. Wayne Rooney, who scored 34 times last season, personally thanked Valencia’s assistance in getting to that mark, as the winger provided a lot of opportunities for the striker to pounce upon. For United, Valencia is the perfect right winger and scored the opening goal against Chelsea in the Community Shield match. The Ecuadorian however didn’t have a very good match against Newcastle and lost the possession on numerous occasions. The player’s signature runs have become predictable and he needs to change his style a bit. Valencia is difficult to catch owing to his speed and quickness and would be looking to shake the bad patch.
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