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League debuts should be memorable occasions, but Toby Collyer’s Premier League bow will stick in the mind for all the wrong reasons.
It’s hard to find positives in Manchester United’s dismantling at home to bitter rivals Liverpool, and on a torrid afternoon for the Reds their midfield display was the worst of all.
But buried in the dirt in the middle of the park was a glimmer of hope in the form of academy graduate Collyer, who was thrown in at the deep end by Erik ten Hag to replace the disastrous Casemiro at half time.
The 20-year-old worked hard, and his unspectacular but efficient display was as good an antidote as any to the Brazilian’s horror-show first half.
As per Sofascore, he battled hard and won 100% of the duels he contested, a world away from Casemiro’s offering, and his four tackles went some way to curtailing Liverpool’s attacking threat.
His performance impressed the MUTV pundits as they hunted for positives after the game. Treble-winning former defender David May described him as “brilliant”, adding “he conducted himself really really well”.
Both May and fellow former Red Phil Bardsley acknowledged the immense pressure the youngster faced, with Bardsley feeling that “once he got a foothold in the game he didn’t look out of place” and that he “should be proud”.
The Sofascore algorithm backs that up, ranking Collyer as United’s joint-best performer on the day alongside captain Bruno Fernandes on 7.1.
He found his man with 15 of his 19 attempted passes, and even recorded one more key pass than the Portuguese creator, who didn’t manage a single one.
If we’re looking for a reason to smile after such a poor showing, it should warm United hearts to see Collyer lining up alongside fellow Carrington alumnus Kobbie Mainoo in the heart of the midfield.
But despite his spirited showing, it’s unlikely Collyer will walk straight back into the team.
With United’s next outing nearly two weeks away, deadline day arrival Manuel Ugarte has plenty of time to get up to speed, while we can’t rule out Ten Hag sticking with Casemiro.
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