WhoScored Under 21 Premier League Team for August

Given their start to the season, it’s no surprise to see Manchester United’s young stars dominate our Premier League Under 21 team for the month gone by. Sir Alex Ferguson’s decision to place his faith in youth has proved dividends, as the champions, on the back of a magnificent Community Shield comeback against rivals Manchester City, sit at the top of the table after a series of scintillating performances.

Indeed, United are the only team to have more than one player in our WhoScored XI for August- four of their stars earn a slot, with the other places being shared amongst seven other Premier League sides. Here’s the lowdown on the top performers:

Best Goalkeeper

David De Gea, Manchester United. Age 20. WhoScored rating 7.40
The young Spaniard has recovered well from an opening day error at West Brom. De Gea has conceded 3 goals, picking up 1 clean sheet in his first three league appearances for the champions. He has averaged 5.7 saves and 1 good claim per match and also saved a penalty in the 8-2 drubbing of Arsenal last weekend.

Best Defender

Phil Jones, Manchester United. Age 20. WhoScored rating 6.95
Injuries to first-choice central defensive pairing Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand have afforded Jones a chance in the heart of the champions’ back-four and he hasn’t disappointed. The summer buy from Blackburn has been commanding at the back, winning 75% of aerial duels and making 1 tackle and 1.3 interceptions per game over his three appearances. Jones’ timing in the challenge also means he has yet to make a foul, while Jonny Evans- his partner at the back- has an average of 1.3.

Jones has also averaged 4 clearances as well as an impressive 0.7 blocked shots and his ability to bring the ball out of defence has caught the eye- Jones has made 1.3 successful dribbles per game, the same number as Nani and Ashley Young have on the flanks.

In possession, he has been tidy and kept things simple- just 0.3 key passes per game but an 88% pass accuracy indicates a safety-first approach, with just 3.7 long balls per game played.

Best Ball-Winning Midfielder

Fabian Delph, Aston Villa. Age 20. WhoScored rating 6.94
Given a chance in the Villa midfield by new boss Alex McLeish, Delph has returned some battling performances in the centre of the park. He made 3 tackles per game, top for any Villa player, and also averaged 2.7 interceptions in addition to winning 33% of his aerial duels.

In possession, he has made 42.3 passes per game, second only to midfield partner Stiliyan Petrov, though Delph has the higher pass accuracy of the duo (84% to 79%).

He’s yet to register a shot at goal and has made 0.7 key passes as well as 1 successful dribble per game, and the youngster looks to have established himself as part of Big Eck’s new-look Villa side, though the arrival of Jermaine Jenas on loan from Spurs may threaten his place in the starting XI. 

Best Wide Man

Victor Moses, Wigan Athletic. Age 20. WhoScored rating 6.98
Moses has been handed a chance on the wing following the departure of Charles N’Zogbia to Aston Villa and has impressed with a series of skillful displays. He’s failed to score or assist in his opening three games but it’s not through a lack of trying- Moses has averaged 2.7 shots per game, joint-top with Franco Di Santo.

In terms of creativity, he’s second for key passes (1.3) for the Latics, despite making just 24 passes per game, with a 78% accuracy. Moses has averaged just 0.3 crosses from out wide but has registered a fantastic 4.3 successful dribbles per game, far and away the most by any Wigan player- Mohamed Diamé is second-best with 1.7.

Best Goalscorer

Danny Welbeck, Manchester United. Age 20. WhoScored rating 7.41
With Javier Hernandez sidelined due to concussion and Dimitar Berbaotv out of favour, Welbeck has slotted in alongside Wayne Rooney to great effect. The forward has scored 2 goals, only failing to find the net in one of his three August appearances, and has also picked up 1 assist as United opened the campaign with three wins and thirteen goals.

Welbeck has managed 2.3 shots per game -fourth best tally at United and some way behind Wayne Rooney’s 5.3- and when it comes to key passes, although his game is not about creating as much as the likes of Nani (3.3) Rooney (4) and Ashley Young (3), has also averaged 1 per match. He’s averaged 0.7 successful dribbles and made 19 passes per game, with a 77% accuracy. 

He has also impressed with a strong work-rate; Welbeck beats Rooney for tackles (1.3 to 1) and interceptions (1.7 to 0.7) showing a willingness to help the side out defensively, too.