Manchester United: Ranking Best and Worst Red Devils Players for April
April has been a very odd month for Louis van Gaal and his Manchester United charges.
A routine win over Aston Villa and a derby-day drubbing of Manchester City have had the shine taken off them somewhat by a similarly routine loss to Chelsea—albeit one from which United could take some positives—and an embarrassing defeat to Everton.
Choosing the best and worst of United's performers is thus quite challenging, as almost no one in the squad was universally awful or consistently effective.
Lucky to miss out on the "worst" side of things is Daley Blind.
His turn in defensive midfield against Everton was distinctly lacking in quality, as evidenced by the fact that he made only one interception. His passing was poor too—he gave the ball away an uncharacteristic 22 per cent of the time.
He is denied a place on the "worst" list by virtue of an excellent performance at left-back against Aston Villa and a reasonable showing in the derby.
Narrowly missing out on the "best" side is Juan Mata, but his goal against City and assist against Villa were not quite enough, given his ineffectiveness against Chelsea and Everton.
Let's take a look at the players who do make the cut, for better and—first—for worse.
Fourth-Worst: Antonio Valencia
1 of 8
This is perhaps a touch harsh on Antonio Valencia, given he did play well against City, but his mistake for Everton's third goal was so egregious it was enough to warrant him a place on this list.
Completely switching off from potential danger, assuming Romelu Lukaku was offside and active, Valencia stood with his arm in the air as Kevin Mirallas sprinted past him on the way to finding the net.
Things were not much better for the Ecuadorian when United were in attack—none of his six crosses found a team-mate.
All in all, his turn against the Toffees was so poor it earned him a previously unlikely place among United's biggest underperformers for April.
Third-Worst: Wayne Rooney
2 of 8
Wayne Rooney's recent spell as a No. 9 has been a mixed bag. There have been a decent number of goals, but most of them came before April arrived.
He is spared a place higher up this list by his one moment of brilliance, a sublime goal against Villa that counts among his best.
Apart from his goal, however, his overall showing against Villa was not particularly impressive. Similarly, against City, his contribution was limited to one assist. He was unable to get involved in the game, having fewer touches of the ball than anyone else in United's starting XI.
At Stamford Bridge, he was forced back into midfield, where he was tidy in possession but did little to truly threaten Chelsea.
Few United fans would have expected much from him against his old club, as Rooney's record at Goodison Park since he left Merseyside is not impressive. He duly underwhelmed, and overall, it was a month to forget—featuring a moment to remember—for the Red Devils skipper.
Second-Worst: David De Gea
3 of 8
The future of United's No. 1 stopper remains uncertain. Van Gaal recently said of David De Gea's contract situation (h/t Jamie Jackson of the Guardian): "I am not the boss. I want him to stay. The player is the boss—he can say yes or no. You will have to ask David De Gea, not me. He has to sign. We have offered him a lot of money."
Jackson wrote that the proposed contract "is believed to be in the region of £150,000 a week with lucrative incentives."
De Gea's performances throughout April did enough to prompt feelings that these circumstances are having a negative impact on him on the pitch. He did not keep a clean sheet, and though he has not been offered much in the way of support from his back four, there have been a few goals that De Gea would have kept out at his best.
Christian Benteke's goal was De Gea's worst mistake, with his attempt at a save falling into the "howler" category.
United's 'keeper has been the club's player of the season, but April was a bad month for him.
Worst: Radamel Falcao
4 of 8
It has been a bad season for United's Colombian loanee, Radamel Falcao.
Nondescript cameo appearances against Villa and City were followed by a start against Chelsea and a half-time deployment against Everton.
He made almost no notable impact in any of the four games, and that is why he was the worst Manchester United player in April.
He was probably fouled in the build up to Chelsea's goal at Stamford Bridge. However, his habit of going down easily when he senses contact has not been shaken during his time in England despite of referees continually ignoring his pleadings for a free-kick. Mostly, when he goes to ground, it results in United losing possession.
Falcao is unrecognisable from his brilliant best, and his increased playing time in April has not resulted in an upturn in performance. Fans still sing his name whenever he warms up on the touchline or arrives on the pitch, but his United career has never sparked into life. It seems almost unimaginable that it ever will.
Fourth-Best: Ashley Young
5 of 8
Ashley Young was on course for a higher finish than this in the ranking of United's best players in April, given his spectacular showing in the derby.
A goal and two assists from the winger was an excellent return. He was not able to repeat the trick against either Chelsea or Everton, games in which he struggled to get a foothold, although he did make two key passes in each.
A decent month's worth of performances overall, with one standout 90 minutes in particular making him United's fourth-best player of the month.
Third-Best: Luke Shaw
6 of 8
It is some feat for Luke Shaw to arrive this high up the list, given that he did not feature in either of the Red Devils' two wins in April.
However, replacing the injured Blind against Chelsea and retaining the left-back berth with Blind redeployed to midfield against Everton, the youngster was excellent. His performance at Stamford Bridge was probably the best of his burgeoning United career.
As well as two tackles, an interception and two clearances, Shaw was superb in possession, completing a remarkable 98.1 per cent of his 52 passes. Three of those were key passes, meaning he was second only to Juan Mata in creating chances for United.
Van Gaal has been fulsome in his praise of Shaw, saying to MUTV (h/t the club's official website): "I believe in Luke Shaw so, for me, it isn’t a surprise. He played very well against Chelsea and I’m very happy for him."
He finished by saying "I believe in Shaw."
Shaw's April showing has demonstrated why his manager retains that belief. It is easy to imagine he would have been even higher on the list had he appeared more often.
Second-Best: Ander Herrera
7 of 8
Ander Herrera's star turn against Aston Villa was the highlight of his April.
He played every minute of all four of United's games and is now clearly established in Van Gaal's side. He was forced into a defensive-midfield role against Chelsea and, barring a couple of shaky moments, did a decent Michael Carrick impression, completing 94.6 per cent of his 93 passes.
He also made three tackles, five interceptions and four clearances in that game. United missed him further up the field, but he did his job well.
Superb against Villa, very decent against City, one of United's best performers against Chelsea and not one of the weak links against Everton, his overall impact in April was very positive.
Best: Chris Smalling
8 of 8
Chris Smalling has been United's most consistent defender in April. Short on errors, even in the defeat to Everton, Smalling even managed to get on the scoresheet against City. He is now level with Falcao for the season on the goalscoring charts, which is not a good sign for the striker.
As well as moonlighting in the opposition box, the Englishman has put in a decent shift in his day job. With the exception of the Everton game, United's defense has looked a reasonably functional unit, and Smalling's leadership has been partially responsible for that.
After missing the Villa game, Smalling returned for the derby and has been ever present since. He scored and made seven clearances against City. He won five aerial duels against Chelsea, the most of any United player. Even in United's ill-fated trip to Goodison, he managed six interceptions, which was more than any other United player.
This was also the month in which he signed a new contract, at which point his manager said of him, reported by BBC Sport: "He's improved and developed immensely in the short time I have been at the club and become an integral part of the squad."
In a month when most United players have blown hot and cold, Smalling pips Herrera to top spot by virtue of his series of steady performances. Long may that continue.
All advanced statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
