Manchester United host Newcastle United at Old Trafford in Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off, and Louis van Gaal will be hoping to make it three wins on the trot for the Reds, while Steve McClaren will be hoping that the Magpies’ poor start to the season comes to an end.
At first glance, the Newcastle squad seems like your run of the mill, mid-table Premier League side, but there are a couple of names that stand out from the crowd that could potentially make it into this United side and hold their own. Although they wouldn’t be automatic starters, they could easily be useful options for van Gaal if he wanted to try something different.
Without further ado, here are the Newcastle players that, in my opinion, could make it into the United squad:
Georginio Wijnaldum:
The 24-year old midfielder was signed from Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven this summer for a fee of £14.5 million and is the Magpies’ best player on paper. Playing in the middle of the park, Wijnaldum has an impressive goalscoring record for a midfielder, having scored 56 goals in 154 appearances for PSV in all competitions. If there’s one player you’d liken him to, it would be Frank Lampard.
Wijnaldum would probably fit into the United side like a charm, and his relationship with van Gaal is strong. The current United boss was manager when the midfielder made his return to international action after seven months out with back problems and he was included in van Gaal’s squad for last year’s World Cup in Brazil, where the Netherlands eventually finished third.
Wijnaldum had a solid, if unspectacular tournament, and was grateful for the opportunity given to him by van Gaal. Speaking to Sky Sports back in April, he said: “He is a good trainer, and makes players better. I work really fine with him and he is a great man. He gave me a chance and opportunity to play in a World Cup after seven months out injured, and I am thankful for that. He helped me get my confidence back.”
The midfielder would also be reunited with Memphis, his former teammate at PSV. Together, they scored 36 goals between them last season as they broke Ajax’s four-year hegemony on the Eredivisie. Wijnaldum captained the side to a comfortable title victory, and in the process was named Dutch Footballer of the Year for his efforts.
Currently, the Reds are stacked with midfield talent, so Wijnaldum wouldn’t be starting week in, week out, but he would be a useful option off the bench, able to drive forward and make intelligent runs from the heart of the midfield to get into good goalscoring positions. He isn’t a huge assister of goals, and this would provide something different for van Gaal, with the current crop of United midfielders mostly being creative playmakers.
Ayoze Pérez:
The 22-year old was perhaps the only bright spark for the Magpies in attacking areas last season, with the summer signing from Tenerife finishing second in the club’s goalscoring charts behind Papiss Cissé, scoring 7 in 36 appearances.
Ayoze shunned reported interest from Barcelona, Real Madrid and Porto to make the move to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and from his performances last season, it is easy to see why those big clubs were chasing his signature. Often deployed up front as a lone striker, the Spaniard showed his well-rounded qualities, being able to hold up play, fashion chances and most importantly, finish them. His performances didn’t go unnoticed by his national team, with Ayoze becoming a Spanish under-21 international during the course of the season.
Few Newcastle fans would have seen Ayoze’s performances coming, but not Tenerife fans, who witnessed the talents of the forward during his breakthrough the season before. In 34 appearances in the Segunda División, he scored 16 goals and assisted another 7 as Tenerife finished 11th in their return to the second tier of Spanish football. Considering Tenerife scored 46 goals that season, it was some achievement.
Once again, Ayoze would not be a first-team player, but merely an option for van Gaal off the bench. With Wayne Rooney captaining the Reds and being the first choice up front, it is highly unlikely that Ayoze would be able to dislodge him in the pecking order. However, Ayoze’s versatility would earn him more playing opportunities, with the Spaniard being able to play up front, out wide on both wings or even as a number ten behind the main striker.
Ayoze would certainly compete with Javier Hernandez as the Reds’ backup striker, and the 22-year old has even caught the eye of former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Alan Pardew, Ayoze’s manager on Tyneside for the first half of last season, said: “Ayoze is a really great individual talent who is working very hard. He hasn’t got quite the strength and power that you associate with the Premier League, but that will come to him. He has a knack (in the penalty box). He has a lot to learn, but you know that if something falls for him he will score. I was lucky to have a quick glass of wine with Sir Alex Ferguson and Ayoze caught Sir Alex’s eye.”
If a player has caught Sir Alex’s eye, you know he is some talent. With some development, Ayoze could eventually become someone who could play for a team of United’s calibre.
Rolando Aarons:
Some United fans may see this as a perplexing choice, but I think Aarons has the potential to be a top, top quality player. The 19-year old showed glimpses of his talent during his fleeting appearances for the Magpies last season, and if he can shake off his injury problems (Aarons suffered a hamstring injury, ruling him out for most of the season), he can definitely become a leading player for a team in United’s calibre.
No one could have predicted Aarons’ rise to prominence, especially after he was released by Bristol City in 2012 due to personal problems. Most youth footballers released from their clubs fade into obscurity, but Aarons showed tremendous character to rise above this setback and eventually earned himself a contract with Newcastle after impressing in a trial.
The Jamaican-born youngster continued his meteoric ascent, impressing then manager Alan Pardew so much that he involved the winger in the Magpies’ preparations for the new season. After producing a great performance against Schalke in a pre-season tournament, Aarons was rewarded with a first-team squad number, and was given his senior debut in the first game of the Premier League season against Manchester City.
He made a further five appearances for the first team, with his finest hour coming against Manchester City in the last sixteen of the Capital One Cup. Playing from the start, Aarons was a constant danger to the City backline, and his early goal set the tone for what was a stunning performance from Newcastle. Latching on to a poor backpass from Fernandinho, Aarons raced past Eliaquim Mangala and cooly slotted the ball under Willy Caballero to give the Magpies the lead.
Aarons’ main strength is his pace – his speed allows him to burst past opponents and get behind the opposition’s backline. He has the technical ability to run with the ball at pace and dribble past, and favours a direct style, picking the ball up in dangerous areas in order to run at defenders. His crossing is decent, but it can be improved. If there is one thing that the youngster needs to work on, it’s his decision making, but mostly young wingers have that problem and that can be rectified with experience.
At present, Aarons wouldn’t get anywhere near the United first team, but would probably be sent out on loan to gain first team experience by van Gaal. However, he would fit the mould of past United wingers, such as Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo. Quick, dynamic and good on the ball, if Aarons can develop to his full potential, there’s no reason why he can’t be playing for the Reds in the future.
