It wasn't exactly a beautiful game, but Manchester United's 1-0 victory against Aston Villa was loaded with talking points.
The biggest storyline from the match wasn't United's victory, but the serious ankle injury suffered by Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, who rolled his ankle and appeared to suffer severe ligament damage. After the match, United manager Alex Ferguson stated the team thinks Hernandez could be sidelined for a month, though no official diagnosis has been released yet.
Here is the injury:
The other talking point, and one American fans will be interested in, is the hamstring injury to Aston Villa goalkeeper Shay Given, which paved way for Brad Guzan to make his first Premier League appearance of the season. Guzan didn't allow a goal in more than a half of action, and he figures to step into a starting role for Villa while Given recovers from his injury.
What do you think of these developments? Think United can cope without Hernandez? Excited to see Guzan finally getting playing time for Villa? How do you see him doing?
Share your thoughts below.
Although Guzan did not have to do a lot in terms of shot stopping during this game, he positioned himself well and I was struck by how comfortable his defenders were in passing the ball back to him. One pass was actually so hard it was difficut for him to control, but he did and played it out nicely. Hopefully, this will be a good opportunity to prove his value to the team and earn that playing time.
The older keeper thing is changing. Iker Casillas was 19 when he won his first Champions League.
Look around Europe. The new wave of keepers are all very young now.Joe Hart is 24, De Gea is 21, Neuer is 25, Stekelenburg is 29, Loris is 24,Handanovic is 27.
Guzan needs to get on the stick because Howard needs to be pushed as he can get complacent. Hamid, Johnson and Rimando are not legit threats to Howard but Guzan can be.
Seize this like an animal Brad!
Amen
Ohhhh snap, no you didn’t
Not like Howard was so arrogant that he figured he could be Man U’s greatest keeper ever. They came with an offer and figured he’d be decent. They never figured he’d be their no1 so quickly. Sure he may have disappointed a few but he didn’t flame out. He’s still a no1 for a top 8 PL club with loads of history. Not bad.
I love Brad Guzan! He is still my second choice after Howard.
Guzan and Howard should be the USMNT’s current version of Friedel and Keller.
The most lasting keepers at the top level have all learned the art of playing the slow hand: one of Howard’s biggest mistakes was going too big too soon. He may never get a shot at a bigger club because of how he underwhelmed at Man U. Guzan has had the right idea in biding his time. Learning behind Friedel and Given (while taking a premiership salary) is about as great an apprenticeship as one could ask for. That said, it is time for him to be making that next step. It’s a shame it has to come at the expense of the number 1 (Given is a class act), but it’s time BG brings it. I’ve always felt the “he’s better than Howard” talk is a bit overblown. Until he starts realizing his potential week in and week out as a true #1 it’s just speculation, but Howard could do with some true competition to see if he has yet another level to his own game, which I think he does.
Shame about Chicharito, I know he plays for our biggest rival in CONCACAF, but anyone who comes from this region that helps make this conference stronger is all the better for USA because it forces the USMNT to be better as well. hope he’s back soon.
+1
Obviously he’s talking about how Guzan telephathically twisted Chicharito’s ankle from the bench.
I’m hoping for a quick recovery. Hernandez is a classy kid who is far too humble & nice for his skill set.
Glad to see Guzan get his chance, but it’s a shame it came this way. He is starting quality and has had the bad luck of sitting behind Friedel an Given.
Well he goes down rather easily. Today aside, of course.
Absolutely. He’s a great player and I’ve yet to see anything to reasonably complain about.
Too bad; Chicarito is hard to dislike, even if he plays for two teams I have no fond feelings for.
Don’t get your panties in a bunch.
Where did you get that idea from? You can clearly see Given hovering above Hernandez in the photo…
Did you even read the article? Chich rolled his ankle all on his own. Guzan came in for Given who hurt his hammy on a clearance. Reading and understanding things before you react would be wise on your part next time.
Probably next season in the American Superclasico! It will be Donovan O_o
so Guzan messed up Chich? thats how it goes with us. no place is immune from US v Mex, not even an epl field. i can neither say “good going brad” cause i knows rafa gonna get one of our boys back…just one of those things.
Guzan should do well with this opportunity. We all know he’s a great shot stopper, and a couple seasons behind Friedel can only have helped w/ the mental aspects of the position. Up the Villa!
Wow. Just when you thought he was down, Guzan gets his chance.
As exciting as Hamid has been for DC, Guzan does things that even Howard can’t, namely ungodly PK stopping. Hamid will get his turn, but Guzan deserves to be starting in a top league.
How many saves did Guzan make in his ~52 minutes?
We have already seen a Given injury in the Premiership lead to a great career for a young keeper in Joe Hart. Let’s see what Guzan does with the opportunity.