Allen Hamilton
Antonio Valencia could have been forgiven for questioning his first team future at Manchester United back in the early months of the season. Sir Alex Ferguson had splashed £18M on wide man Ashley Young, pushing Valencia into a substitute role and limiting his appearances to cameos at right back. He was quickly becoming the forgotten man at Old Trafford. But it speaks volumes for the Ecuadorian’s attitude, determination and quality that, five months on, he has emerged as one of Manchester United’s key figures in their pursuit of silverware.
The recent clash against Arsenal was a perfect case in point as Valencia scored the opening goal at the Emirates with a fine back post header, then crafted the winner for Danny Welbeck with a marauding run after switching to right back. Manchester United had enjoyed the better of the game but it was Valencia, more than anyone, who seized the moment and produced the end product.
In the aftermath of the Manchester derby humiliation back in October, the champions’ attacking play hit the wall, with Wayne Rooney struggling in front of goal and Nani and Young out of sorts on the flanks. That led to a string of low-scoring wins focused more on a resolute defensive shift than creativity in the final third. But Valencia’s revival has changed all that, prompting a run of results that included 5-0 wins over Fulham and Wigan as well as the morale-boosting 3-2 victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup Third Round.
It is easy to forget that the former Wigan man has battled back from major ankle problems over the past two years. A summer spent representing Ecuador at the Copa America, where he injured his ankle for the second time, set his preparations back for the new season – but that rest has left him fresh to lead Manchester United’s title surge.
Valencia’s outstanding recent form has not gone unnoticed by his manager or his team-mates. “He was absolutely fantastic – he was really in top form", Ferguson said after the priceless victory over Arsenal. “In the last few weeks he’s really come into his game. He’s got over the bad injury he had last season and he’s getting better all the time.”
Rooney, who seems to have developed a better understanding with Valencia than with either Nani or Young, added: “Antonio has been playing brilliantly. He is back to his best and when he is like that he is so difficult to defend against. It is great for the forwards because he is so good at delivering the ball into the box quickly.”
It is not simply Valencia’s dribbling and crossing that have stood out. His work-rate is exemplary and, with the Red Devils fielding a string of different right backs, including the Ecuadorian himself on a couple of occasions, it has been a huge bonus to have a winger that protects his full back and tracks back to support the defensive effort.
His energising presence seems to have reinvigorated several of his team-mates too. Stand-in captain Patrice Evra is once again playing like one of the best left backs in world football and was exceptional at both ends of the pitch against Arsenal. Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick have also noticeably stepped up their game since Valencia returned to the fray.
All this will give Ferguson a selection headache when Young returns from a knee injury and the Manchester United boss is confronted with the same conundrum that left Valencia as the odd man out back at the start of the campaign. Rest assured, this time he will not find himself looking on from the bench.
The reigning champions are entering a critical six-week stretch, starting with a trip to Anfield in the FA Cup Fourth Round and continuing with tough Premier League tests against Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur among others. Ferguson has the luxury of calling upon an array of attacking options with a wealth of experience and cabinets full of silverware – but, right now, Valencia holds the key to how far Manchester United can go this season.
