Manchester United’s 2013/2014 season was one to forget by their standards after finishing outside of European competition places entirely. With Alex Ferguson stepping down after 27 years at the club and David Moyes coming in, fans knew that a transition period would be needed in order to get United consistently performing under their new manager. However, after a dismal season, David Moyes was relieved of his duties with just 4 games left to play and Ryan Giggs was announced as interim player/manager. This season, United fans have reason to be excited after Louis Van Gaal was announced as their new manager, leaving his post as manager of the Dutch squad after their impressive World Cup display. LVG brings a great CV and a wide breadth of game knowledge with him to his new role after succeeding in several big managerial roles before this one. You would be brave putting money on United ending this season as badly as they did the last one!
STAR MAN – Robin VAN PERSIE
A tough choice in the United squad for star man as we feel there may be 4 key players in United’s success this season. De Gea, Mata and Rooney all made the short list but we have gone with Louis Van Gaal’s fellow countryman RVP. After a slow season last year and being hampered with injury, RVP could be on for a big season this time around due to his relationship with LVG. As we know, RVP was captain under Louis Van Gaal for his national side and the Dutchman will be looking to impress his former national manager in his club football too. With the captaincy under LVG yet to be announced, RVP has a shot of landing that role. With or without it, he is surely going to thrive under his new boss and produce some spectacular football, that we know he is capable of, on a more consistent basis. Although he is set to miss the start of the season and is the most expensive striker available on FPL at 12.5m, he is bound to produce some points upon his return. If you have the money when he is back, don’t hold back in signing him up.
HIDDEN GEM – Ashley YOUNG
An odd choice some may say due to his recent season performances but hear us out. Throughout pre-season, LVG has opted for a 3 man defence with 2 wing backs. Ashley Young has been favoured throughout and is thriving in his new role under his new manager. The formation sees United take on an attacking approach which has seen them successfully win their pre-season tournament trophy. Last season, the player finished FPL with a value of 7.1m and he was only able to score 50 points the entire season. However, in his new role and at a cheap price of just 5.5m, we reckon he will break through last season’s point tally and return to scoring 100+ points as he did 3 seasons ago. If you’re looking for a cheap midfielder, he may be the way to go!
