Manchester United have seen highs and lows in the 2014/15 season, the defence has been tested and the attackers haven’t been scoring but the squad excelled themselves with the average amount of possession they held in each game.
The squad offloaded a few players out on loan at the start of the season and some midway. Their performances at times exceeded the ones left in the club. Tom Cleverley has been one player who has shone in the team he played for as he helped Aston Villa out of the relegation zone.
Also, Sam Johnstone helped his home club Preston North End beat Swindon Town in the Sky Bet Football League 1 Playoff final 4-0. He may be looking for a permanent fixture in the United squad or may be sticking with the newly promoted side.
Here is how our players played elsewhere.
Javier Hernandez
The Mexican striker spent the past season in Spain at the Blancos, Real Madrid. He spent most of his time on the bench as he was behind the majestic front line of Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo. Even though he didn’t get much game time, he proved a vital player when used.
His best moment possibly from last year was when he scored the winning goal against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final. The game was a let-down goal wise until the 26-year-old made an appearance and scored the only goal of the game.
Although Madrid will not be attempting to sign the striker in the summer, fans shouldn’t think that was because of his form. The club has a great number of players in every position and it would be a tough place to earn. Carlo Ancelotti even praised Chicarito’s form at the end of April saying that: “If Chicharito is in this form he’s non-negotiable, like Cristiano (Ronaldo).” He said this after he scored a 4-2 victory against Celta Vigo. At that point, he had been played three games on the run and he scored four goals in that time.
Nani
The Portuguese Winger went back to the club that United bought him from back in 2007, Sporting Lisbon and he was welcomed with a great response. The crowd still love him in Lisbon and he showed the club that he can still perform for them eight years after the initial sale.
The 28-year-old helped the club finish the season in the top three and said that his time there was great. He finished the season with 32 appearances and 10 goals. When he was questioned about whether he thinks he could make a mark at Manchester United after his form this season, he said that he has different ambitions than last time.
The return of Nani to Manchester may be a dream now as Louis Van Gaal seem to enjoy playing both Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia both as wingers and wing-backs. Also, the signing of Memphis Depay may be a bit disheartening for the Portugal International as he would be playing the same position as him.
Sporting seem to want to keep him in their ranks but he is insistent that he is good enough to go back to Manchester and gain some play time.
Tom Cleverley
The Manchester born player has had a tough year as they finished only one place above the relegation zone. the player played in the middle for most of their games this season and tried to hold it together.
He gained 31 appearances and scored three goals. That may not look like very good form but, when Villa were struggling to get out of the relegation zone near the end of the season, Cleverley stepped up and got himself his only three goals of the year in as many games. The start of the season was his problem as it was under the management of Paul Lambert; the manager wasn’t able to keep his job due to poor form.
Cleverley himself seems confident I his form and the future as he has shown intent in signing a full contract with club as he says that he feels comfortable there. His United contract expires in June and many fans believe he is not good enough to play for the club.
Sam Johnstone
The youngster has not yet set his mark at Manchester United yet due to his young age but if this season is anything to go by, he may be in the mind of Louis Van Gaal. The goalkeeper helper Preston North End gain promotion to the Championship in spectacular fashion, winning the playoff final 4-0 at Wembley.
Since he joined Preston in January after spending the first half of the season at Doncaster Rovers and he played 23 games and kept 14 clean sheets. He was the rock at the back for Preston and deserves to be praised for his performances this season. The only floor in his play is that he can be a bit brash. The keeper gained three yellow cards this season and that is the most of any Manchester United keeper this season.
The 22-year-old has a lot of time to improve on his few weaknesses in his play but, in my opinion, would be a good addition if he is to be brought back into the United ranks. Especially with the David De Gea drama, the club may need another keeper to step up into the possible free spot.
Overall
Even though United will see this season as quite a success, there is still room to be filled in the squad. It is up to Van Gaal now to decide whether the performances of these loaned out players deserve them a chance to fill those gaps in the squad. If not, they will no doubt be offloaded.
It is just a personal guess but, Johnstone seemed at home in the Preston team and they should really offer up a deal for him as he was the reason they made it to the position they did. Cleverley seems keen on making the move to Villa permanent and they really need a player to hold down their midfield with years of Premier League experience.
As for Nani, he seems to want a move back to Manchester but, the way he plays may not fit into the plan that Louis Van Gaal is forming this summer. Chicarito definitely has the skill to come back to United and a goal scorer would have come in handy this season but if he is to come back, one of the current strikers will have to make way.