United at the Euros

United had seven players selected in their national squads at Euro 2012. Ashley Young, Danny Welbeck, Wayne Rooney, Nani and Patrice Evra all featured at least once in the tournament. Meanwhile Phil Jones and Anders Lindegaard failed to register appearances for their respective countries. Here is an assessment of the United player’s performances in the competition.

Ashley Young

Ashley Young had a relatively disappointing tournament for England. Despite holding a good recent scoring record for England, Young failed to deliver on the big stage. After the game against France, Young was moved from a central position out onto the left side, a switch that appeared to have a detrimental effect on his game. Passes went astray far too often, and he became an embodiment of England’s inability to keep possession. Although perhaps not as bad as most people suggested (he still delivered some dangerous crosses), Young had a poor tournament by his standards, and will be looking to rediscover his best form next season.

Rating: 6/10

Danny Welbeck

Possibly England’s brightest spark in Euro 2012, Danny Welbeck had a good tournament. His wonderful goal against Sweden was undoubtedly the highlight, but his running and 91% pass success rate are also praiseworthy. Against Italy in particular he appeared to be the only link between midfield and attack, and did a decent job of tracking Pirlo before his substitution. A tournament of positives for the ever progressing youngster; if only he could’ve helped England further.

Rating: 8/10

Wayne Rooney

Rooney inevitably struggled in this tournament. Having not played a competitive match for five weeks before being thrust into the action he was never going to be at his best. England constantly had less possession than the opposition without ever posing a significant counter-attacking threat, something that made it hard for Rooney to exert any influence on matches. He did well to be in the right position to score against Ukraine, however his link-up play could’ve been better. He also missed chances that you would usually expect him to score.

Rating: 6/10

Nani

It is fair to say that Nani had the best tournament of the United contingent. With two assists to his name, he often wreaked havoc down the right flank for Portugal. His inconsistency still featured at times with his final delivery, but he was for the most part an excellent outlet for the Portuguese. A goal or two combined with an appearance in the final could’ve made this the perfect tournament, but it wasn’t quite to be.

Rating: 9/10

Patrice Evra

Evra only featured once for France in the tournament, in the opening game against England, before Gael Clichy claimed the left-back berth. His performance was solid, and as ever he provided an extra man in attack when France came forward. However he gave away the free-kick that led to Lescott’s headed goal and was inevitably a part of another disjointed France squad that underperformed.

Rating 6/10