After some lacklustre performances from Moussa Diaby, Nicolo Zaniolo should be given a start against Manchester United following his first Premier League goal last time out.
Since his move from Bayer Leverkusen, Moussa Diaby has been one of Aston Villa’s best players this season. Following his £55m move he has contributed to seven goals in 15 starts, according to FotMob.
In recent weeks, his performances have gotten quiet and he has registered just one goal involvements in his last eight Premier League games.
With that being said, his one assist came against Bournemouth where he started the game on the bench. After coming on, Ollie Watkins flicked home his cross as the Villans grabbed a point late in the day against The Cherries.
As a result of this, Diaby should be dropped to the bench at Old Trafford. This follows his performance against Sheffield United, where he did very little against poor-quality opponents. He should be replaced in the starting XI by Nicolo Zaniolo after he scored his first Premier League goal.
Why Nicolo Zaniolo should start over Moussa Diaby
Another player who came in over the summer and made an instant impact following coming on for his debut. Zaniolo came on against Burnley and looked superb as he ghosted past players with ease.
This followed comments that had been made by his previous manager, Claudio Ranieri. Speaking with One Football, he had plenty to say about the attacker.
On him, Ranieri said: “He’s a decisive player, who has to find the ball in space, he has impressive quality and strength.”
It is true that he looks to get on the ball and drive forward where he can. According to Fbref, he makes over three progressive carries per 90 on average. As well as this he takes nearly four shots again which ranks him in the top 3% of attacking midfielders.
Zaniolo also is a player who likes to get amongst it in a defensive sense. The Italy international makes over 1.5 blocks, one clearance and nearly one aerial duel won per 90. Given that Villa are playing away at Old Trafford, no matter how poor they have been, being defensively sound is going to be paramount.
Given that Zaniolo grabbed his first Premier League goal of the season against Sheffield United, his confidence will be up. For that reason, he should be brought into the starting XI and given his chance against the Red Devils.
