We’re now just ten days away from the Premier League’s opening weekend, which can only mean one thing – it’s time to fill out your Fantasy Football teams for next season!
Indeed, it’s become almost an annual tradition for football enthusiasts up and down the country; spending hours upon hours pouring over statistics, data and price indexes in an attempt to compose the perfect squad, only to completely lose interest a few weeks later and inevitably never look at your delicately assembled team ever again.
But hey, it’s fun while it lasts and we at Football Fancast certainly aren’t ones to judge. In fact, we’re hoping to make things a little easier for you this year by outlining the must-have players from every top Premier League club.
This article, using stats and prices from Fantasy.PremierLeague.com, takes a sneaky peak at Manchester United, listing the five Red Devils that should be in your squad. Some represent fantastic value for money, others are dependable points generators and a few are speculative punts, but all are United stars your Fantasy Football team needs.
DAVID DE GEA
Provided he remains a Manchester United player by the end of the transfer window – which seems substantially more likely now Real Madrid have signed Espanyol’s Kiko Casilla – your Fantasy Football side could certainly do a lot worse than having PFA Player of the Year nominee David De Gea between the sticks for next season.
Currently, the Spain international’s value is set at 5.5; neither a fantastic price or an underwhelming price with every goalkeeper on the system rated somewhere between De Gea’s value and 4.0.
But the 24 year-old ranked fifth in terms of overall points from last season, his 92 saves and 10 clean sheets manifesting into 138 points, trumping the likes of Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris, Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois and Southampton’s Frasier Forster. In fact, the only 5.5-priced ‘keeper to surpass him was Manchester City’s Joe Hart.
Pound for pound, that makes De Gea a more cost-effective signing than even Chelsea’s Eden Hazard – who registered the most points of any player last season.
ANDER HERRERA
There may be some doubts over this suggestion considering Manchester United have just signed two central midfielders – including World Cup winner Bastian Schweinsteiger – who certainly possess the quality to muscle Ander Herrera out of the starting Xi.
But the Spaniard’s importance to United – particularly in terms of retaining possession – grew as the 2014/15 campaign went on and he eventually finished up as both the club’s fourth top scorer and fourth top assister in the Premier League with six strikes and four set-ups respectively.
Overall, only three Premier League centre-mids scored more last season – Yaya Toure, Steven Gerrard and Ki Sung Yueng. So at a cost of just 7.0, cheaper than Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey, Chelsea’s Oscar and Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho to name a few, and with goals from midfielders worth five points apiece, Herrera represents a solid bargain.
If there’s one lingering concern, however, it’s whether his game-time will be reduced by the sheer numbers United now boast in the heart of midfield.
MEMPHIS DEPAY
Memphis Depay represents a speculative punt yet one that could pay off dividends.
Indeed, the Netherlands international arrives in the Premier League on the back of a nomination for the Best Young Player award at last summer’s World Cup and a subsequent 28-goal at PSV Eindhoven, firing the Dutch outfit to their first Eredivisie title since 2008.
So if you’re a firm believer the powerful winger-forward, often compared to a young Cristiano Ronaldo, will transition his goal scoring exploits to the English top flight with immaculate ease, his 8.5 price-tag represents decent enough value for money.
That’s considerably less than the likes of Eden Hazard, Alexis Sachez, David Silva and Theo Walcott, and with Angel Di Maria on the verge of joining PSG, the 21 year-old looks set for plenty of game-time next season.
ADNAN JANUZAJ
Adnan Januzaj’s performances ranged from anonymous to abysmal last season but as a consequence, his price on Fantasy Premier League is now set at just 5.5, which is actually the third-cheapest rate you can buy a midfielder for.
After failing to grab a goal or an assist in 850 Premier League minutes, there’s absolutely no way the Belgian wizzkid’s form can be as woeful as it was last season, so he’s almost certain to prove decent value for money over the course of the campaign.
The obvious concern predicting when he’ll actually feature for United, having not been a regular in their starting Xi since last November.
But the expected departure of Angel Di Maria will make more room for him within the squad, and Louis van Gaal has recently insinuated the 20 year-old could be deployed at centre-forward next season after impressing in that role during a pre-season friendly, which should have a big effect on his game-time.
It would be unwise to place all of your eggs in one Januzaj-shaped basket, but picking him for the subs bench and waiting for the prodigious winger to hit good form could prove to be a very astute move. Prices fluctuate throughout the season and at some point, he’ll be worth a lot more.
WAYNE ROONEY
He may be the fifth-most expensive player on the system at a current price of 10.5, but Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney still represents good value for money.
First of all, barring suspension or an uncharacteristic serious injury, Wazza Roo will be featuring in virtually every minute of the Red Devils’ 2015/16 campaign, which instantly guarantees two points per match – although occasional bookings, five in total last season, can become an annoyance from time to time.
On top of that, however, his output is second to none in the Premier League. Last season’s return of twelve goals and five assists in 33 appearances was a little underwhelming, but from his decade at Old Trafford the England skipper has averaged 0.77 goals or assists per appearance. Should that be maintained next term, Rooney will bag you an extra 2.7 points per match-day in addition to the aforementioned two points for playing a full ninety minutes. And that’s before the best player bonus – potentially worth an added 3 points – is brought into the equation.
But here’s where things get really interesting. The 29 year-old’s spent the last four campaigns jostling between attack and midfield, but in the absence of a superstar striker arriving at Old Trafford this summer, he looks set to man the line pretty much exclusively for the Red Devils next season – with Javier Hernandez operating as back-up.
Louis van Gaal has already challenged Rooney to score in excess of 25 goals and grab the Golden Boot, which would be his biggest haul since the 2011/12 campaign. If you believe the Three Lions forward can rise to the call, he’s more than worth the 10.5 investment.
