Later today, the EPL is back in action after a ten-week-long break. Manchester United FC fans will probably be the most excited about this considering they are about to finally witness how Bruno Fernandes, Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford will fit together in Solskjaer’s squad. They have all the reason for high hopes as the club was on an encouraging 11-match undefeated run before COVID-19 hit the stores.
This manchester united side has been in the making since Van Gaal’s era. Rashford and Martial have been playing together since forever and are probably the most experienced under-24s in the premier league today. They’ve seen it all, from humiliating defeats to bottom-of-the-table sides to mindblowing comebacks against PSG, Manchester City and the like. Their form this season has been impeccable as well. Martial’s amazing dribbling skills and Rashford’s Ronaldoesque free kicks have been a treat to the eyes over the length of the season.
Bruno probably had the best season though with a stunner of a debut run. He linked up very well with the likes of Martial and Fred and was not shy to show some tricks or kick some dead ball over his very first season at Old Trafford. He is already a fan-favourite and owns every game like a proper number 10 should.
I cannot stress enough the importance of the roles that both Fred and McTominay has grown into. Fred looked like a seasoned CDM over the last few games before football (and almost everything else) went into lockdown. McTominay, apart from being a consistent performer this season, had a couple of screamers converted as well. Honestly, I would prefer to see Solskjaer let Pogba prove his form before he starts ahead of the Brazilian or the Scott.
The back-four has been in tremendous form. Apart from the growing partnership between Maguire and Lindelof, Wan-Bissaka has grown into a mature right-wing-back who can defend and get aggressive with the ball. With a pass completion rate of 80% and a tackle success rate of 68%, Trent Alexander-Arnold knows Gareth Southgate is watching. Luke Shaw is definite to start on Left Back even though Brandon Williams is not going to make it easy for him.
Mata has been excelling at more of a seasoned leader’s role coming on and off the pitch over the season. Following a dream debut and an impressive short-run of matches, Dan James couldn’t find the form in the latter part of the season. Nevertheless, his pace and skills on the ball will provide Solskjaer with options when needed. James, along with Andreas, needs to work on their decision-making capabilities to feature in the starting-11 more often. Mason Greenwood has shown huge potential over the season with his knack for scoring beautiful goals.
Overall, Solskjaer has probably built the most promising side Old Trafford has seen since the Ferguson era. He has a good chance of bringing the trophy home over the next one or two seasons but first, they need to crack the top-4 place this season. Which is pretty hard, considering how close the teams in the range 3–10 on the league table are positioned. Resuming the season against Spurs at North London is not going to be easy considering Mourinho’s history against his former employers apart from the return of both Kane and Son. Nevertheless, I cannot wait to see the team in action and how the baby-faced assassin is going to line up the team. All the best boys!