Two positive results in tough games has flipped the narrative around the usefulness of this Manchester United team but the long-term priorities should be clear.
The results shouldn’t deviate anyone from the fact that this is still far from Ruben Amorim’s team, with the manager having to put square pegs in round holes.
The biggest example of that is at left wing-back, where Diogo Dalot has started to do an admirable job but it couldn’t be more obvious that there’s an upgrade needed.
Man Utd have been linked with Nuno Mendes, among others, but the real upgrade in already in the Premier League, and he’s rivalling the likes of Mohamed Salah and Bukayo Saka in assist charts despite being a defender!
Antonee Robinson should be Man Utd’s chief target
The biggest issue Man United have faced with Dalot playing on the left is that his preferred right foot forces him to come inside all the time.
That kills the momentum of the attack as he is not able to take the ball first-time on the overlap and move it forward/cross it into the box.
A left-footed wing-back is necessary to make that happen and he should be attack-minded too, something that can’t be said for the left-footed Tyrell Malacia.
In Antonee Robinson, United can get the perfect player who is left-footed and a true overlapping, flying fullback in the traditional sense.
He wouldn’t even be a target out of nowhere, as United have been previously linked to Robinson, as early as the last summer transfer window when there was expected to be a bidding war for him.
He ultimately stayed at Fulham and has unlocked a new level this season, showing the exact skill set that Amorim is crying out for in his left wing-back.
Antonee Robinson is rivalling Saka and Salah
A cursory look at the Premier League scoring and assist charts shows nothing out of the ordinary, with the usual suspects topping the rankings.
Erling Haaland, Mohamed Salah, Cole Palmer, and Bukayo Saka generally remain at the top of these rankings and that is the case again this season.
However, in the assist charts, just behind Salah and Saka is Robinson, with nine assists in the league despite playing as a fullback in a back four, not as a wingback in a back three.
Across all of Europe’s top-five leagues, that puts him in the 98th percentile of defenders for assists/90.
The best thing about Robinson is that the attacking excellence doesn’t even come at the cost of defensive lapses because he’s the type of player to sense danger and cut it at the source.
Being in the 96th percentile of defenders across Europe’s top-five league for interceptions speaks volumes about that footballing IQ.
He would compare favourably to the likes of Luke Shaw or Malacia but the problem is that neither of those players have even played enough to have a big enough sample size for comparison.
At 27, Robinson is now in the peak of his career, and a four/five-year contract will have United seeing the best years of his career, just in time for somebody like Diego Leon and Harry Amass to step up and take the mantle.
With his contract expiring in 2028, Fulham still hold a lot of power but Robinson could feel time running out for a big move and Fulham probably wouldn’t stand in the way of a player who’s given his best to the club.
United need to make it happen in the summer.
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