Manchester United were brilliant on Wednesday night against Oxford United, with Yuel Helafu continuing to thrive in a new role masterminded by Michael Carrick.
This season has seen Darren Fletcher oversee a handful of Manchester United talents make positional changes.
Godwill Kukonki has become a brilliant left-back this season for United, improving tenfold on the ball over the past year. In addition, Rafe McCormack moved into the midfield and has excelled.
Now, Fletcher’s latest project seems to be moving Yuel Helafu into the midfield.
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Yuel Helafu is thriving as an inverted right-back under Darren Fletcher
Last summer, Helafu was a United scholar, yet less than 12 months on, and he is quickly becoming one of the most underrated talents in the academy.
Helafu has caught United staff off guard with how quickly he has improved, and now Fletcher has shown how highly he rates him.
Helafu is a full-back by trade; however, Fletcher has recently been moving him into the midfield throughout United’s games.
As United beat Oxford United 4-1, Helafu was inverting throughout while in possession to provide an extra midfield option in possession, similar to Pep Guardiola’s system from a few years back.
Helafu is excellent on the ball and impossible to press, so it makes him a great option in the first phase build-up, something Fletcher is now taking advantage of.
When United beat City 3-1 in the U18 derby, Helafu also played this role for large periods, helping the Red Devils evade the press.
So, having already turned one defender, in McCormack, into a midfielder, Fletcher has now set his sights on another.
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Yuel Helafu is a long-term right-back option for Manchester United
This experiment from Fletcher is unlikely to stick long-term, with Helafu still likely to see his career as a full-back.
The change in role and position in possession is probably more intended to get him on the ball more to help develop his technical ability and decision making, something that will help his full-back role.
Helafu has already trained with United’s first team, and is considered a player similar to Noussair Mazraoui, which is an exciting thought given the Moroccan’s quality.
Helafu has already turned himself into one of the top contenders to step up for United, and Fletcher’s usage will only improve him as a player.
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