football | Wednesday, February 15, 2023 10:32 AM (Revised at: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 10:33 AM)

Silvestre on United's Players: Sabitzer and Weghorst Settled Well, Sancho Return has been Positive

Devang Prasad

Manchester United are facing FC Barcelona in the Europa League tomorrow evening which looks to be a very interesting game, especially keeping the two clubs’ great form in mind.

Mikael Silvestre, who starred in Man Utd’s win over FC Barcelona in the 2007-08 Champions League semi-finals, talked to us about United’s players and shared his opinion on Luke Shaw, Marcel Sabitzer, Wout Weghorst and Jadon Sancho.

In this article:

Luke Shaw should be a contender for Team Of The Year
Sabitzer fits very well into Man United´s way of playing
Weghorst will continue to play a lot of games
Jadon Sancho looks hungry for more

Luke Shaw should be a contender for Team Of The Year

The five-time Premier League winning defender expressed his appreciation for in-form left-back, Luke Shaw.

Silvestre recalled how Shaw was regarded as a great talent when he joined the Red Devils from the Saints but injuries and compatibility issues with former managers like Jose Mourinho impeded his development.

“Luke Shaw came with a very great talent when he arrived from Southampton and he was very highly rated, which was deserved because of his quality.”

“But he has been injured a lot and he had a bad relationship with some of the managers.”

Silvestre then pointed to Shaw’s consistency for both club and country and how he is one of the main causes of United’s defensive prowess this season. The former France international believes that Shaw could feature in the Team of the Year.

“He has been very consistent for England and Man United. In my opinion he is one of the main reasons that Man United’s defence has been so strong.”

“But I don’t think he is underrated. He is very appreciated by all the players in the league and honestly, if you should pick a left back for the Team Of The Year right now it would be between Luke Shaw and Oleksandr Zinchenko.”

“I’m very impressed by how well he has been able to play as a left centre back as well. He has been performing very well in both positions which is impressive.”

Sabitzer fits very well into Man United´s way of playing

Marcel Sabitzer arrived at Man United in this January transfer window and due to Christian Eriksen´s injury and Casemiro’s suspension he was thrown almost directly into the starting lineup by Erik ten Hag and the Austrian midfielder has impressed Silvestre.

“I think he fits very well into Man United’s midfield. He is aggressive, has a lot of energy and recovers the ball a lot. He is also very strong on the ball, has great passing abilities and he has the right mentality.”

“He has been in Bayern Munich which is a big club so he knows the drill and how to perform in a huge club.”

Weghorst will continue to play a lot of games

Wout Weghorst was brought to Man United as well this January transfer window and he will get a very important role the rest of the season according to Silvestre as he thinks Anthony Martial will have a tough time with staying fit.

“Weghorst has played a lot because of all the injuries Man United have had. Obviously, Anthony Martial has been injured and tha has opened space for him to get a lot of game time.”

“Martial seems to keep picking up injuries here and there and there are still a lot of games left. So, Man United need Weghorst for the rest of the season because they want to compete and win titles. So, he will continue playing a lot of games.”

Jadon Sancho looks hungry for more

Jadon Sancho has returned to the squad after a long period of time outside the pitch and Silvestre is very pleased with the wingers’ performance who seems to enjoy his time on the field.

“He had a good performance against Leeds when he came on as a substitute. He looks hungry and he’s fighting for his spot. He’s enjoying his football again.”

The Frenchman also advised supporters to be patient with Sancho as he had been out for a considerable amount of time.

“He’s not back to his best yet because he needs a run of games. He’s been out for quite some time.”

“It’s very positive and he’s showing confidence and repaying the manager.”