Manchester United, the kings of Manchester hired their most reputable manager in recent times since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson, in the person of Jose Mourinho, nick named the happy one and also the special one. They also made major additions to their squad to eliminate noticeable deficiencies in the side. They went for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan whose name some fans have struggled to mention till date, the exciting Paul Pogba and Eric Bailly. The season is at its tail end. Let’s see how well these players have fared in their new side so far.



ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC

NATIONALITY: SWEDEN

PREVIOUS CLUB: PSG

POSITION: ATTACKER – CENTER FORWARD

The 35 year old towering Swede has been an instant and monumental hit at Manchester United. He’s unarguably the god of Manchester for the 2016/2017 season and his ibracadabra voodoo has left various opponents in awe as he seems to always provide answers when the going gets tough, as was evident in his performance at Wembley when they squared off against an impressive Southampton in the league cup final. Aerially powerful, has missiles for shots, decent set piece taker, can beat his man when need be and is still a complete Center Forward despite his age although some pace seems to have left him. This hasn’t restricted him from proving his world class status in the PL.

25 games in the PL, all starts.
8 games in the Europa league. 6 starts and 2 substitute appearances.
5 league cup appearances. 4 starts and 1 sub appearance
1 community shield appearance
1 sub or cameo appearance in the FA cup
2250 minutes played in the PL and 628 minutes played in the Europa.
15 goals and 4 assists in the PL
5 goals and 2 assists in the Europa
I goal in the FA cup, 1 in the community shield and 4 goals in the league cup
4 MOTM awards in the PL and 2 MOTM awards in the Europa league
6 yellow cards to his name all in the PL
1 league cup trophy and 1 community shield to his name
Still possesses impressive fitness levels and stamina for his age going by his contributions to the side in all competitions.



PAUL POGBA

NATIONALITY: FRANCE

PREVIOUS CLUB: JUVENTUS

POSITION: MIDFIELDER– CENTRAL MIDFIELDER

The most expensive player on earth. A player who arrived with a huge reputation from the Italian champions, Juventus. He returned to the club where his light and prospects shone briefly before being snapped up by Juventus. Has been decent and made significant impact on his team. Whether he has played out his worth in cash is still arguable as that cannot be determined in one season. Has been a main stay in United’s midfield and has contributed decent numbers in attack. An exciting player he is, on the field of play. Skilful in dribbles, has bullets for shots and has very decent aerial prowess

25 games played in the PL all starts with 2250 minutes to his name
9 games played in the Europa, all starts with 735 minutes to his name
4 league cup appearances and 1 FA cup substitute appearance
4 goals and 3 assists in the PL
2 goals and 1 assist in the Europa
1 goal to his name in the league cup
7 yellows garnered in the EPL and 1 each in the Europa and league cup respectively
4 MOTM awards in the PL and 3 in the Europa


HENRIKH MKHITARYAN

NATIONALITY: ARMENIA

PREVIOUS CLUB: BORUSSIA DORTMUND

POSITION: MIDFIELDER – AMF

The Kicker Bundesliga Players player of the 2015/2016 season. He arrived from Dortmund with a very impressive attacking instinct but found it difficult to get games under his belt at the start of the season due to injuries and unforeseen circumstances. Hasn’t had the numbers going to his benefit as they were in his last season in the Bundesliga, but has also put in relatively good efforts for the team.

10 appearances in the Pl, with 5 being substitute appearances
5 games in the Europa, with 1 sub appearance
2 appearances in the league cup and FA cup respectively, all starts
1 community shield sub appearance
889 minutes played in the PL and 288 minutes in the Europa league
3 goals and 1 assist in the PL
3 goals in the Europa and 1 in the FA cup
1 MOTM award in the PL
1 yellow in the PL and Europa respectively


ERIC BAILLY

NATIONALITY: IVORY COAST

PREVIOUS CLUB: VILLAREAL

POSITION: DEFENDER – CENTER BACK

One of the signings made to shore up United’s defense line and also bring back belief to the defensive line. Started the season impressively but seemed to wane in significance later in the season but has improved relatively under United’s resurgence recently. A hard tackler of the ball and a no nonsense brutish defender. His physique is intimidating and has helped him overpower opponents on the pitch.

13 apps in the PL with 1 being a sub appearance
6 appearances in the Europa, all starts
1 league cup and 1 shield appearance
1099 minutes played in the PL and 513 minutes played in the Europa
3 yellow cards in the PL, 2 in the Europa, and 1 in the community shield


These are United’s new boys. You can see their contributions to the team as well as significance being indicated by minutes played. Man United still remains rooted to the 6th position. I guess, Zlatan and Pogba will have some things to say about that as the season draws to a close.

http://footiehound.com

nice write up

Uwc

Nice article