With 9 clean sheets in their remaining eleven games, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are much accelerated at the back and have impressed the treble winner.
Manchester United ’s improved defensive record is down to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer giving the back line time to gel together, in accordance to former defender Wes Brown.
Earlier in the season the Red Devils couldn’t buy a clean sheet. Despite the arrival of Harry Maguire from Leicester City in the summer, Solskjaer’s side had been leaking goals and managed simply nine clean sheets in all competitions from the start of the campaign up till Christmas.
But the club’s current run of good form has seen them go on an 11-game unbeaten run, their longest since Solskjaer was caretaker manager, and in the course of that period they have kept 9 clean sheets.
“It has just began to click on due to the fact they have been given time. Lindelof and Maguire have been brilliant,” Brown told Goal . “It has taken time however that was continually going to be the case and I think they have done well.
“[Aaron] Wan-Bissaka is doing precisely what I thought he would do, he is a superb defender and he’s enhancing all the time with his attacking skills.
“And then there’s [Luke] Shaw and [Brandon] Williams who have top competition between each other which is pushing them each on.”
The Norwegian prefers a partnership of Victor Lindelof and Maguire however has other options available. Eric Bailly impressed again in the 5-0 win towards LASK in Linz on Thursday night in what was his fourth appearance following a return from injury.
Axel Tuanzebe, meanwhile, is back in competition after a couple of spells on the sidelines.
“You’ve got Bailly coming back now. He was extraordinary towards Chelsea and has had another couple of excellent performances so it will be fascinating to see whether or not the manager gives him time to see what he would be like with Maguire,” Brown said.
“Having more players coming back is going to supply some healthy opposition at the back and I’m certain there’s going to be time to see different partnerships in the future.”
One thing Brown isn’t positive on is whether or not the club need to be searching to strengthen at the again once more when the transfer window opens in the summer. Solskjaer is searching to bring in a number of players, with a midfielder and a forward top on his list of priorities, however beforehand in the season there were many suggesting Maguire needed a better centre-back accomplice if the club were to push back to the top.
“I don’t necessarily assume that’s the proper issue to do. I don’t mind players coming in if they’re going to enhance the squad but, in general the defence has been pretty appropriate this season,” Brown stated speaking from Marriott Hotel’s Seat of Dreams at Old Trafford.
“You constantly want to improve. So if there are players that the manager likes and they’re available and they suit in the team then I don’t see a problem in that but I don’t assume it’s necessarily needed in defence.”
