Season review: 'I'm more than happy - I'm joyous and radiant'
- Published
Norman Riley, True Faith, external
Rating: 10/10. Mike Ashley is gone, the team played the entire second half of the season like a top-three side, Eddie Howe is universally loved, the fanbase and club are united and there is an ambition to become one of the best teams in the world. Memorable.
Best performance: The 2-0 win over Arsenal at home. United have gone from being a team with one win in their opening 20 games to bullying a side with Champions League pretensions. Utterly dominant.
Player of the season: Only there for half a season but Dan Burn was/is an absolute colossus.
Player whose time is up: Oooof... am I willing to answer this one? A cruel question. I'll take the easy option and say Isaac Hayden because he didn't make the Christmas squad cut and is likely to be on his way. Six years' valuable service and leaves with nothing but best wishes and fond remembrance.
Opposition player you'd love at your team: We could do with a centre-forward to cover/challenge Callum Wilson. We could do with a world-class centre-half. But, from a 'I'd love to see him in black and white tearing teams to shreds' point of view, it would have to be Raphinha. A Brazilian triumvirate of him, Big Joe and Bruno would be spectacular.
Happy with your manager?: More than happy. Joyous and radiant.
One learning to take into next season: Let's get out of the 14 years of Mike Ashley sucking the lifeforce out of us and aim as high as possible. Outside the current top two, there is nothing to fear.