Sergio Reguilon has completed his move to Manchester United from Tottenham Hotspur.
Reguilon will join Manchester United on a season-long loan with no buy clauses attached, and his full wage, rumoured to be around £120,000 a week, will be covered by the Reds. There is also a ‘break clause’ inserted by United so that the loan can be cut short in January if needed.
The 26-year-old has been criticised heavily since joining the North London side, for not living up to the expectations he came with from Real Madrid.
After joining Tottenham in 2020, the Spaniard made 52 Premier League appearances, being substituted in 15 of those, and coming off the bench in four.
Reguilon went loan to Atletico Madrid last season, so the last time he played in the Premier League was in the 2021-22 campaign, where his best qualities came in possession. One of these qualities is his crossing and being able to pick out a striker ready to poach the ball home. At Manchester United, scoring from crossing situations has been an issue, but the introduction of Rasmus Hojlund improves United’s threat inside the box.
An apt piece of analysis from The Coaches’ Voice sums his crossing ability up well, stating: “Although he is left-footed, Reguilón can also deliver with his right. His technique is naturally weaker on this side, so when using his right he looks to cross towards a zone rather than a specific teammate.”
His ability to hold width can be useful for United, with both of the club’s left-wingers, Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho, being right-footed. His ability to do so partially comes from being weaker on his right foot, meaning he is more likely to stay wide. As a result, when Rashford or Garnacho inevitably cut inside, Reguilon is happy to stretch the pitch, looking for a cross if he receives the ball.
With 2.25 touches in the opposition penalty area and nearly one shot per game, the left-back isn’t afraid of getting forward. That said, his shooting is a major weakness, and while it isn’t the most important attribute for a fullback, it still holds weight in an Erik Ten Hag side where fullbacks often find themselves in shooting situations.
Reguilon struggles defensively too, especially against more physical players, competing poorly in both ground and aerial duels. In the 2021-22 season, 80% of European left-backs won more tackles than Reguilon in the defensive third, in which he won around 50% of the tackles he attempted- not a great look for a defender.
Ranking in the top 18% of left-backs in progressive passes received, Reguilon’s positioning tends to be quite advanced, and this can be either a strength or a weakness depending on if United are to sign Sofyan Amrabat later today.
This is because Ten Hag’s side often look vulnerable defensively, especially when conceding a counter-attack, when Casemiro is the only defensive-minded midfielder. If Amrabat was to sign for the club though, he would offer a lot more protection for the centre-backs, allowing Reguilon to advance high up the pitch and not be exposed if the ball is lost.
It is safe to say that Sergio Reguilon is not the deadline day signing United fans would have hoped for. Being the second choice left-back after the deal for Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella fell through, we cannot even say he was on Ten Hag’s wish list. Supporters of the club will hope to be proved wrong though, with Reguilon being the only available first-team left-back until Tyrell Malacia or Luke Shaw recover from their injuries, meaning he will start a lot of games in the red shirt.
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United should learn to implement their game plan for 100 minutes not for 90 minutes.
Sancho should leave United for the Arab money. The club is wasting his time & skills by benching him. ETH then has the nerve to lie about Sancho’s commitment. Signs of a club in dissaray. OMG!!