Seagulls will prove a true test for Toon

Published date12 August 2022
Publication titleEvening Chronicle
You bet they will. Ask Man U, the fading stars of yesteryear who are anything but united and were spanked on their own patch by a superior side who pass the ball nicely and create exquisite patterns

How on earth can Albion sell stars like Yves Bissouma and Marc Cucurella to London big guns Spurs and Chelsea pocketing £88.3m in the process and still look so attractive and be so successful?

That on top of earlier in the year letting Dan Burn go to Newcastle and also losing their star finder Dan Ashworth to the same club.

They just keep on giving and keep on going their merry way.

No matter, United must somehow find a way to build on a comprehensive victory over Nottingham Forest because they are hopefully on an upward trajectory and have to prove it.

Our United will certainly worry Brighton more than Manchester's version. The Magpies have a togetherness the self-centred Reds most certainly do not.

Often football's headline pinchers are either in defence or attack, depending on the goals defiantly kept out or scored, but most games are actually won and lost in the engine room of midfield. That is where the flow of the tide is decided.

I thought Newcastle were relentless in the middle third against Forest where Bruno, Joelinton and Joe Willock became a trio of dictators and likewise Brighton's middle of the park overpowered Man U - especially in the first half when a decisive two-goal advantage was attained.

Moises Caicedo was a midfield monster helping his defence and assisting his side in possession.

He could easily become the next star off the Brighton taxi rank in exchange for another whopping fee, potentially estimated at £60m-plus.

Certainly which team is superior around the halfway line will be in the box seat at the Amex.

However, the bullets still have to be fired and that is where we come to Callum Wilson.

Tony Cascarino was a decent centre-forward with Aston Villa, Chelsea and Marseille who won 88 Republic of Ireland caps so he has a pedigree and he reckons Wilson in the best English centre-forward after

Harry Kane. That is quite a compliment when you consider it puts Callum ahead of the likes of Tammy Abraham, Jamie Vardy, Danny Ings, Ollie Watkins, Ivan Toney, Marcus Rashford and Patrick Bamford but I get where Cascarino is coming from.

If Wilson can stay fit - a big if - he is indeed up there jostling with the elite.

United's No.9 got off the mark with a delicious flick of his right boot on the opening day so more power to his performance at...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT