Arrival of Alexis can give Lingard freedom to thrive
AT the end of a Carrington press conference last month, Jose Mourinho rose from his seat only to be stopped from starting his stride by a reporter who asked about Jesse Lingard’s best position.
“Can play right, can play left, can play through the middle, can play at 10, can play in midfield, can play on the bench,” Mourinho laughed. Certain players are versatile without it being a backhanded compliment and Lingard has enjoyed two terrific months across the front three and breaking from midfield.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s malaise promoted Lingard to the playmaker role ahead of a natural option like Juan Mata. It still does not seem to be the best use of his talents and Lingard appears more comfortable in areas where the responsibility is not great. Lingard is a spontaneously spectacular player and remains at his most intelligent off the ball.
Alexis Sanchez is an undeniable upgrade on Mkhitaryan and Mata. He is steelier, more intense and more varied.
It was he – not Mesut Ozil – who had United supporters on tenterhooks with those delightful dinks over their backthree last month at The Emirates. Sanchez was like a professional golfer exhibiting a bunker masterclass, getting closer to the pin until it went in the hole, via Alexandre Lacazette.
Mourinho will be asked about Sanchez’s positioning at United’s training ground during today’s press conference and the reply is bound to be as diplomatic and ambiguous as his Lingard response. Sanchez could be used on either flank, as the No.9 or the No.10 behind Romelu Lukaku.
Mkhitaryan, bought to reinforce the right but at his most ‘dangerous’ as a playmaker, flagged on his handful of striker stints. Mourinho proclaimed at his press conference unveiling 18 months ago he favoured ‘specialists’ after the ‘multi-functional’ tenure of Louis van Gaal, but United needed a flexible forward in an era where every elite European club has their own ‘magician,’ as Mourinho put it.
Woodward went into the transfer window with their manager coveting a right winger until Sanchez became attainable. Bordeaux’s Malcom was identified as a potential world-beater but Mourinho had reservations about the 20-year-old’s inexperience.
United supporters should still expect an additional attacking signing in the summer. Gareth Bale’s stock is growing again on the right for Real Madrid. Irrespective of coach Zinedine Zidane’s future, Real are preparing for an attacking overhaul in the summer window, with Eden Hazard and Harry Kane admired. Bale will not be easy to shift, plus his contract runs until 2022.
Ozil was made no promises when informed his best chance of securing a United move would be on a free transfer. Arsenal have offered the German 29-year-old a new contract and United have still not triggered Juan Mata’s oneyear extension, leaving the Spaniard also out of contract on June 30. Maybe Ozil was a smokescreen for Sanchez.
Antoine Griezmann would prefer to stay in Spain with Barcelona yet doubts persist over where he would fit into an attack that coach Ernesto Valverde must cram Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho into. United are still admirers.
“In this moment there is no competition for places,” Mourinho said at Burnley. “In this moment, we have four attacking players (Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Mata and Lingard) for three positions. Three are starting, one is on the bench, Zlatan for the whole season was not available.
“We look to central defenders, played Jones and Smalling, Rojo on the bench, Victor [Lindelof] in the stands, [Eric] Bailly is injured, look to midfield, Fellaini, Herrera and McTominay on the bench, Carrick in the stands. And we look to the attacking areas and we need that extra competitive internal competition but more solutions for us, so let’s see.”
Just don’t expect Sanchez to play on the bench.