The Times - UK (2022-05-02)

10 1GG Monday May 2 2022 | the times

thegame

Two midfield players — born nearly a
decade apart — gave Steven Gerrard
reason to be cheerful after a difficult
spell for his Aston Villa side.
John McGinn, 27, was singled out
for special praise by the Villa head
coach, while Tim Iroegbunam also
impressed on his full debut as the
home side, who ended a run of four
straight defeats with a draw away to
Leicester City, finally got back to
winning ways — relegating their
opponents, Norwich City, in the
process.
Gerrard was keen to talk up the
contribution of McGinn, the Scotland
midfielder. “Some of his forward
passing was outstanding,” he said.
“I’m a massive fan of his, he’s very
unique in how he plays. He sees
passes, he’s infectious, he’s a leader.”
McGinn’s performance was no real

Villa’s ‘baby’

Iroegbunam

comes of age

in midfield

Aston Villa

Watkins 41, Ings 90+3^2

RATINGS

Aston Villa (4-3-3): E Martínez 7 — M Cash 7,

C Chambers 6, T Mings 7, L Digne 6 —

J Ramsey 6, T Iroegbunam 7 (D Luiz 72min),

J McGinn 8 — L Bailey 5 (D Ings 39, 7),

O Watkins 7, P Coutinho 6 (E Buendía 75).

Booked Chambers, Iroegbunam, Ings, Ramsey.

Norwich City (4-2-3-1): T Krul 7 — M Aarons 6,

G Hanley 6, S Byram 7, B Williams 6 —

M Normann 6, B Gilmour 6 — K Dowell 6,

P Lees-Melou 5 (J Sargent 66; L Rupp 81),

M Rashica 7 (J Rowe 76) — T Pukki 6.

Booked Aarons.

Referee J Brooks.

Attendance 40,290.

Norwich City 0

surprise; he has been consistently

excellent since joining Villa in 2018.

But as Gerrard looks to the future, he

also gave an opportunity to a special

talent that will get the fans excited.

When Gerrard arrived at Villa in

November, Iroegbunam, 18, was a

regular feature for Mark Delaney’s

under-23 team. The defensive

midfielder joined Villa’s academy

from West Bromwich Albion in the

summer, where he had just been

named academy player of the season.

He got his first taste of the Premier

League while still with West Brom,

when Sam Allardyce named him on

the bench on the final day of the

2020-21 season against Leeds United,

but it has taken Gerrard’s arrival to

give him a platform to perform at

senior level.

Iroegbunam’s debut came from off

the bench away to Brighton & Hove

Albion in February. But it was his

21-minute cameo against Leicester

last weekend — plus outperforming

Douglas Luiz in training last week —

that convinced Gerrard to give him a

first start.

It was a bright performance from

the teenager, who has been capped

twice by England Under-19. He

showed aggression, covered a lot of

ground, drove forward, regained

possession five times and won four of

his six duels. There was a confidence

about his display that did not suggest

it was his first Premier League start.

Iroegbunam was given a standing

ovation as he was replaced by Luiz in

the 73rd minute and Gerrard tipped

the youngster as a future Premier

League star.

“We sent a clear message to all our

academy that if you train well and

out-train certain individuals you’ll get

an opportunity,” Gerrard said.

The head coach has a big summer

ahead of him and he already has ideas

about how he wants his team to look,

play and improve. After two

impressive cameos, he didn’t rule out

the idea of Iroegbunam becoming a

regular starter for Villa.

“He’s a baby in football terms,”

Gerrard said. “He is still building

relationships and getting used to the

intensity from a training point of

view. But in the past two or three

weeks he’s out-trained competitors in

that position and I need to be true to

my word.

“I said to everyone when I came

through the door, ‘If you earn the

right to an opportunity I will be true

to my word and I’ll back you up’. I

don’t care how old they are.

“There’s no point having tonnes of

talent in the academy if I don’t reward

them with opportunities if they

deserve them.”

While the likes of Iroegbunam and

Jacob Ramsey, who signed a new deal

last week to keep him at the club until

2027, are paving the way for the

future at Villa, a different path awaits

Norwich. Their 2-0 defeat at Villa

Park, and Burnley’s comeback win

over Watford at Vicarage Road,

sealed their fate as the first side to be

relegated from the Premier League

this season.

Dean Smith, the Norwich head

coach, was given a warm reception on

his return to Villa Park, having been

sacked in November, but left

disappointed.

The rebuild he has on his hands is

very different to the one Gerrard

faces in the summer.

“There’s some really good players at

this club, they’ve just found the step

to the Premier League a little bit

hard,” Smith said. “We know they are

more than capable of playing at

Championship level.”

CHARLOTTE DUNCKER

3

Only three players have started a

Premier League game this season at a

younger age than Tim Iroegbunam (18

years and 304 days) against Norwich

Iroegbunam

challenges

Milot Rashica

as Villa send

their former

coach down

MARC ATKINS/GETTY IMAGES

Manchester United’s underachieving
players will risk the wrath of fans by
staging a post-match lap of “honour”
after tonight’s final home game,
against Brentford — assuming any
remain inside Old Trafford.
With United facing up to their
lowest ever Premier League points
tally, supporters will stage a pre-game
protest and are calling for a 73rd-
minute walkout by fans.
But, after the game with Thomas
Frank’s side, United officials have
confirmed that players will stage a
“lap of appreciation” around the pitch.
Officials and players feared that
failure to do so would be perceived as
snubbing fans who have, largely, stuck
by the team during a season of
mediocrity.
Yet with supporters’ passions
running high and the fans’ group
The 1958 confirming a pre-match
protest for the third consecutive game
at Old Trafford, they run the risk of
ending the home season on a highly
toxic and contentious note.

While the main anger from fans

has long been aimed at the club’s

unpopular American owners, the

Glazers — who will again be the

target of tonight’s demonstration —

there has been a notable shift in mood

towards players in recent weeks.

Paul Pogba, who appears certain

to have played his last game for the

club, bore the brunt of that against

Norwich City last month when he

had abusive chants hurled at him

during the 3-2 win, over a perceived

lack of effort. Pogba gestured at fans

as he was substituted and played only

ten minutes of United’s next game,

the defeat away to Liverpool.

Whether Pogba will be at Old

Trafford tonight is unknown, but

feelings have also been running high

over a number of other United stars.

The club captain, Harry Maguire,

has faced huge criticism, and

Cheshire police even investigated a

bomb threat at his home, before

picking up a “niggle” in his knee,

which the interim manager, Ralf

Rangnick, believes may keep him out

for the remainder of the campaign.

And even the homegrown favourite

Marcus Rashford has been on the

receiving end of fans’ dissatisfaction

over his form and attitude.

The 1958 have responded by calling

for a third pre-game protest outside

the stadium tonight, claiming that a

combined 10,000 supporters attended

the past two.

64 points they tallied in the season

after Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement,

2013-14.

That remains United’s lowest

league tally of the Premier League

era and their lowest since the 59

points they collected in 1990-91,

a season in which they had the

considerable consolation of victory

in the European Cup Winners’ Cup.

Should United, who are at present

on 55 points, fail to pick up at least

four more points, this campaign will

represent their worst in the league

since 1989-90.

Rangnick expects to recall

Fred from injury for Brentford,

although he has accepted

that Pogba will not play again

this season.

Maguire and Jadon Sancho,

who has tonsillitis, may

also have played for the

last time this term.

There is also a

doubt over Jesse

Lingard, who missed

Thursday’s draw

with Chelsea due to

“personal reasons”, which

could leave Rangnick with

only 14 senior outfield

players to select from.

MAN UTD V BRENTFORD

TONIGHT, 8PM

TV Sky Sports Main Event

And, if they have their way, there

will be few fans left in the ground to

even witness tonight’s lap around the

pitch, with organisers calling for a

73rd-minute walkout by fans — 17

minutes before the final whistle, to

represent the number of years of the

Glazers’ ownership.

Fans have already made their

feelings well known with a series of

banners at United home games this

season. In January, before an FA Cup

tie with Aston Villa, a huge banner

filled a section of a stand bearing the

slogan “Standards”, alongside images

of the club legends Eric Cantona, Roy

Keane and Bryan Robson.

And peaceful protests have taken

place at United’s training ground,

with a placard reading “Disgrace.

Not fit to

wear the

shirt” —

a clear

sign that

disapproval has

extended to

players, as well

as the ownership.

If United win their three

remaining games — they

also visit Brighton & Hove

Albion and Crystal Palace —

they will still only match the

MANCHESTER UNITED’S POINTS TALLY BY SEASON

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

Points

1989/90 1995/96 2001/02 2007/08 2013/14 2019/20

First Premier

League

title

Drop to seventh in first

Premier League campaign

without Ferguson

Replace José Mourinho with Ole

Gunnar Solskjaer, finish sixth

Guaranteed club’s joint-worst

points tally in Premier League era

Win title in final

season under Sir

Alex Ferguson

Win Premier League and

Champions League

Finish 13th with

48 points

Historic treble,

win first of three

consecutive

league titles

United’s flops plan lap of ‘honour’

Rangnick’s men to sign

off woeful season with a

thank you – but fans may

not be in the ground to

see it, says Ian Whittell

Rangnick could have only 14

senior players to select from