Can Manchester United right-back Valencia count himself among league's best?

When it comes to providing your first assist of the season, Antonio Valencia could not have chosen a better time for Manchester United. The 31-year-old did superbly to turn the ball into the path of Zlatan Ibrahimovic to head past Simon Mignolet after Marouane Fellaini’s effort rebounded back off the Liverpool crossbar. United were headed for just their second home Premier League defeat of the season when Ibrahimovic was on hand to net his 14th goal of the campaign, though ample credit must be thrust in the direction of Valencia, who remained composed to pick out the enigmatic striker. 

Now fully established as United’s first choice right-back, it’s been a commendable campaign for Valencia. The Ecuador international was widely expected to be shown the Old Trafford exit over the summer as United were linked with a number of full-backs, but Jose Mourinho persisted with Valencia and the team are all the better for it. A WhoScored rating of 7.23 is among the best of all players for Mourinho’s side, with many believing that he - along with Kyle Walker and Hector Bellerin - is one of the finest in his position in the Premier League at this point in time. 

Signed as a winger from Wigan before being converted to a right-back, Valencia’s attacking intuition renders him the ideal attacking full-back, particularly in Mourinho’s current set up. Having moved from a 4-2-3-1 formation to a 4-3-3 to benefit summer signing Paul Pogba, the emphasis remains on the full-backs to press forward and stretch opponents. With the two widemen flanking Ibrahimovic in the final third often aiming to cut inside to pull defenders out of position, there’s greater pressure on Valencia and the player on the opposite flank to break upfield and provide another dimension to the United attack. 

Yet, he carries out these duties effectively having completed 28 dribbles this season; only Arsenal’s Bellerin (29) has completed more of defenders in the Premier League. Valencia is often renowned for his dribbling capability on the back of his days as a winger, but now he can exhibit this quality more readily given the role he plays for United. As football continues to evolve, there is greater onus on full-backs to provide attacking width. The likes of Bellerin, Walker and Danny Rose, among others, have all undertaken the duty with ease, with Valencia joining the ranks. 

This has been accentuated by Mourinho, who has encouraged Valencia to readily attack opponents more frequently. In the past, the Ecuador international would push forward, but been reserved as he has neared the opposition penalty area. The United boss has since demanded Valencia be more adventurous and take more risks and it’s evident that the team are profiting. Indeed, Valencia has played more accurate crosses from open play (26) than any other Premier League player this season as he is granted the time to set himself before putting the ball into the box, in part due to teammates cutting inside to open up space to maximise his attacking output. 

The risk here, though, is Valencia being caught short in attack and shirking his defensive responsibilities. Any attacking full-back must be willing to return to the defensive third in order to deny the opposition and while Valencia breaks upfield at any given opportunity, he doesn’t shirk the responsibility that comes with returning to his position. Indeed, he has been dribbled past on just three occasions this season, by Eden Hazard, Alexis Sanchez and Georges-Kevin Nkoudou, having been successful with 44 of 47 attempted tackles to reinforce a statistically calculated WhoScored strength of ‘tackling’. 

While many of these can perhaps be considered last-ditch challenges to deny opponents - Valencia’s goal saving tackle to halt Roberto Firmino in United’s 0-0 draw at Liverpool earlier this season a prime example - it’s still an impressive display of athleticism to ensure the United goal is rarely troubled. The defensive side of Valencia’s game has rarely been called into question in the past, but he’s blended this quality with attacking impetus that means he is now one of United’s most important players. 

As United maintain their pursuit for a top-4 finish, much of the focus has been on the form of the likes of Ibrahimovic and Pogba, who are arguably the scene-stealing stars in this set up. Valencia’s input, though, cannot be overstated. He’s crucial to the success of the current system implemented by Mourinho, who in turn has moulded the player into one of the finest right-back’s in the Premier League.