If there is one thing that sums up Manchester United’s transformation under Louis Van Gaal, it is the identity of their four goalscorers in this breathless derby victory. Ashley Young, Marouane Fellaini, Juan Mata and Chris Smalling have all faced significant questions over their futures in the last year - but on Sunday they were the golden boys of the Van Gaal revolution.
In a pre-season friendly here last summer, Fellaini was jeered off the pitch. He was the symbol of United’s disastrous season under David Moyes and the club tried to force him out. But when the Belgian was substituted seven minutes from time on Sunday, 75,000 supporters gave him a well-deserved standing ovation for a performance that encapsulated a United display full of intensity, desire and movement.
While summer arrivals like Angel Di Maria, Radamel Falcao and Marcos Rojo warm the bench, Van Gaal has come good on his promise to improve the players he inherited at Old Trafford. The Dutchman prides himself on his coaching skills but even he might have thought he had is work cut out with some of the players that struggled so badly under Moyes.
Young’s most memorable moments for United until this point have been related to diving or bird droppings falling in his mouth - but he tore City apart, providing two assists to add to his 14th minute equaliser.
0 comments:
Post a Comment