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It is very rare that a club can take positives out of a derby defeat, especially one in which both starting centre backs leave the field before the 55th minute mark.
When Marcos Rojo left the field with what seemed to be a dislocated shoulder, I feared the worst for the Red Devils.
Makeshift centre half Michael Carrick, who hadn’t featured due to injury since late last season, was about to be partnered by 19-year-old Patrick ‘Paddy’ McNair, who only had two previous matches in the English Premier League.
With the scores still locked at 0-0 it was Manchester City who were expected to press home the advantage of having an extra man on the park due to Chris Smalling’s stupid two yellow cards.
Less than 10 minutes after McNair entered the fray, Sergio Aguero was put in on goal by Gael Clichy and he fired home to put the Citizens a goal up.
The fault for the goal has been given to McNair for not getting close enough to Aguero, but that is harsh considering there is many a centre back who will not be able to get close enough to the mercurial Aguero. The blame for the goal should be laid on Antonio Valencia and Angel Di Maria, who should have cut out the ball before it entered the box.
Manchester City fans would have been salivating at the prospect of a 10-man Manchester United with a rookie at the heart of an already questionable defence. The young Northern Irishman stood his ground and apart from a fantastic turn from Yaya Toure he was assured and comfortable on the ball.
As Manchester United chased the lead, fullbacks Luke Shaw and Valencia bombed forward, meaning it was Carrick and McNair left to hold the defensive line. But they both held up to the challenge and looked more assured than any Manchester United centre half pairing so far this season.
McNair finished the match with an impressive set of statistics; 79 per cent passing accuracy, four clearances and zero dispossessions. These are really encouraging signs for Louis van Gaal and I would expect him to stick with McNair in future matches or at the very least their home match against Crystal Palace next weekend.
Whether the 5’8″ McNair will feature prominently once the likes of Phil Jones, Jonny Evans and Rojo return from injury is yet to be seen but it wouldn’t be a complete surprise as Van Gaal is a advocate for young talent.
In any case, McNair is one for the future and he will surely be adding to his three Manchester United appearances this season. What do you think, is McNair a hot prospect for Van Gaal and who should be a part of Manchester United’s back four if and when everyone is fit?
Follow me on Twitter @dylaneloiarvela
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