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Manchester United Debate: Can Jonny Evans Or Wes Brown Fill Rio Ferdinand's Boots?
The battle is on for the defenders to claim starting role...
28-Oct-2009 5:22:28 PM
Last night's League Cup run out for Manchester United's centre-back duo was the setting for the fight to replace Rio Ferdinand in the first team.
The England man's dramatic decline in the early months of the season has left a vacancy in Sir Alex Ferguson's starting side.
The Scot is reported to be ready to drop his £30 million thoroughbred and bring in one of his charges from the cold to line up next to Nemanja Vidic for this Saturday's Premier League clash with Blackburn Rovers.
For Wes Brown and Jonny Evans, this is the opportunity they have been waiting for as they have warmed the United bench this campaign.
With 76 caps for the Three Lions, four league titles and a Champions League winners' medal, Ferdinand has big shoes to fill. The pair will have plenty to prove to show they can boost a backline that has fallen short of the high benchmark set in recent times.
Both are full internationals and have proved to be able deputies when asked to step up to the plate. For Brown, the chance to cement a place in the middle would be the first time he has frequently performed there since Ferdinand's infamous failed drug test in 2004, while Evans would finally be getting a taste of consistent league action at the club.
The Northern Ireland regular ticks all the boxes for a ready-made replacement. As comfortable on the ball as he is stealing it off the toes of the attackers, he is a defender crafted in the image of the established star he is pencilled in to replace.
Add in the fact he matches Ferdinand for height, while his youthful 21-year-old legs contain an unexpected burst of the pace, then he is a strong candidate for promotion.
Brown is the polar opposite to Evans' refined approach to the art of defending. A fighter honed on the rough streets of Longsight, his no-nonsense technique has left a succession of strikers rattled since his United debut more than a decade ago.
Whether this is the type of player Ferguson's side needs to fill the void is questionable. The parameters of the game have changed in recent years, and centre backs can no longer get away with just being able to launch long balls over the top.
In tandem with Vidic, this line-up is far too industrial when asked to break down the banks of opposition teams that United face.
Evans' artistry at the back should see him get the nod, with the youngster determined to take the crown as the heir to the fallen Ferdinand's throne
Matt Monaghan, Goal.com UK
The England man's dramatic decline in the early months of the season has left a vacancy in Sir Alex Ferguson's starting side.
The Scot is reported to be ready to drop his £30 million thoroughbred and bring in one of his charges from the cold to line up next to Nemanja Vidic for this Saturday's Premier League clash with Blackburn Rovers.
For Wes Brown and Jonny Evans, this is the opportunity they have been waiting for as they have warmed the United bench this campaign.
With 76 caps for the Three Lions, four league titles and a Champions League winners' medal, Ferdinand has big shoes to fill. The pair will have plenty to prove to show they can boost a backline that has fallen short of the high benchmark set in recent times.
Both are full internationals and have proved to be able deputies when asked to step up to the plate. For Brown, the chance to cement a place in the middle would be the first time he has frequently performed there since Ferdinand's infamous failed drug test in 2004, while Evans would finally be getting a taste of consistent league action at the club.
Brown's bonus | Move to the middle beckons
The Northern Ireland regular ticks all the boxes for a ready-made replacement. As comfortable on the ball as he is stealing it off the toes of the attackers, he is a defender crafted in the image of the established star he is pencilled in to replace.
Add in the fact he matches Ferdinand for height, while his youthful 21-year-old legs contain an unexpected burst of the pace, then he is a strong candidate for promotion.
Brown is the polar opposite to Evans' refined approach to the art of defending. A fighter honed on the rough streets of Longsight, his no-nonsense technique has left a succession of strikers rattled since his United debut more than a decade ago.
Whether this is the type of player Ferguson's side needs to fill the void is questionable. The parameters of the game have changed in recent years, and centre backs can no longer get away with just being able to launch long balls over the top.
In tandem with Vidic, this line-up is far too industrial when asked to break down the banks of opposition teams that United face.
Evans' artistry at the back should see him get the nod, with the youngster determined to take the crown as the heir to the fallen Ferdinand's throne
Matt Monaghan, Goal.com UK
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