The Future’s Looking Bright For United’s Defence

So its been a week since SAF announced his retirement and after some pondering it got me thinking about great teams at United in my era. I started going to watch the reds early 80’s in fact my first game was when we beat Wolves 5-0 and a certain Captain Marvel sat at that little rickety table and signed up for us and from that day I was United mad. I had always had united in the family we are all reds. My dads first cup final was in 1963 v Leicester, my Mum and Dad used to go and watch United home and away in the 60’s and I love the story of them going to the European Cup Final at Wembley in 1968 and them taking my dads younger sister along. Also love the story about them going away at West Ham away in 1967 when united won 6-1 to sew up the title, my mum is about 5ft 5 but as passionate a red as they come and guess that’s where I get it from.

I got my season ticket in 1984 after years of being dropped off at my nanas not more than 1.5 miles from the ground and my dad then going off to Old Trafford, he used to come back talking about the match and would never have a bad word even to this day if I make a negative comment about a player he will tell me off and just say get behind them.
Well I did and to be fair when I first started watching United one word summed us up CRAP. In all fairness we were terrible a couple of FA Cups were great but the big prizes were going mainly to Merseyside and that hurt, it hurt a lot.

Then big Ron gets the boot and a relatively unknown manager comes down from Scotland. We start off on our journey that would last 26 yrs mostly ups and a few downs to be honest. But each team that Fergie had created was formed on a solid back four and a top goalkeeper. Undoubtedly Schmeichel is the greatest ever United goalkeeper probably greatest keeper ever, we have had Van Der Sar and now De Gea seems to be ready to step up after a shaky start. DeGea now looks potentially a world class keeper and he is at the right place to make that transition a reality.

We had Bruce and Pallister, elegance with Pallister on the ball and Bruce who would stick his head in where the boots were flying. Stam and Johnsen were of a similar mould and now we have our current partnership of Vidic and Ferdinand at the top of there game two or three years ago they were the best in Europe without a doubt and for me will go down as in my view our best CB pairing under SAF.

Yet that partnership is under threat from a new hungry breed of footballer, Phil Jones signed from Blackburn, a giant of a lad, great physique, composed on the ball and fearless to boot. Johnny Evans his new partner had his doubters in the early years but a loan spell away was the making of him turning him from boy to man.

So comfortable on the ball, strong in the tackle, can lead out from the back and take it forward and deliver a telling pass, for me the boy is a natural footballer and glad to see him getting the recognition he deserves now. Now in my opinion Jones and Evans could be our CB pairing for the next 10 yrs at least, both so comfortable on the ball, excellent at reading the game, it would be like having a Rio/Vidic clone x 2 in your defence.

These two boys are destined for greatness and barring a run of injuries etc I think these two potentially could be our best ever defensive pairing. Add the ever improving Rafael (best RB in England) and Fabio on the Left, people have said Fabio is the better footballer, with big Dave in goals the potential there is to have possibly best and youngest defence in Europe now I not saying that it will be its just my opinion and bodes well for the future.

Follow Chris on twitter for more Red-obsessed views @chriswg2502