Malacia made a shock start for United u-21s, but it was this defensive colossus who dominated in 4-1 demolition

Manchester United Under-21s went top of the Premier League 2 table with a convincing win over Wolverhampton Wanderers Under-21s this evening. This is our player ratings for the match, while you can read a detailed match report of all the action here. (A score of six is around average) Ratings Will Murdock – 7 – Was very comfortable on the ball and stepped away from pressure with ease. He did well to collect crosses and only faced one shot, which was taken exceptionally well, so cannot fault him for it. Jaydan Kamason – 7 – Offered support down the right wing but could have been a bit more direct in the final third. Tyler Fredricson – 9 – A dominant performance in everything he did. He was strong in the air and defended on the front foot, often stepping into midfield to win possession and keep the pressure on Wolverhampton Wanderers. With the ball at his feet, he also impressed with a good range of passing and with a few driving runs forward. Dan Armer – 8 – Like Fredricson, he did really well defending on the front foot and holding a high line. He was also very composed in possession. Tyrell Malacia – 8 – A good performance for the Dutch international gaining some match fitness, and he grabbed a goal in his 45 minutes. He impressed with his passing and movement into midfield, which helped Manchester United exert control over the match. He looked rusty in the final third with some poor crosses but showed his experience by being alert in the box to score his goal from a rebound. Jacob Devaney – 8 – Did not put a foot wrong all night until a late yellow card. He was dominant in the midfield 50/50s, which did not give Wolverhampton Wanderers anything to work with. After moving to right-back in the second half, he also did well to get up and down the line to support in attack. Jayce Fitzgerald – 7.5 – Amongst the dominant midfield, he pressed and harried the Wolverhampton Wanderers’ midfield the moment they touched the ball and was comfortable in possession himself. Bendito Mantato – 6.5 – Pressed well but never really got going in possession, created a couple of openings but could not consistently beat his marker. Jack Fletcher – 7.5 – His clever free-kick taken under the wall was spilled for Malacia’s match opener. He was very comfortable under pressure and evading challenges in the midfield but would have liked to see a bit more creativity around the box. James Scanlon – 7 – Came close to scoring when his effort was deflected off the crossbar before Obi ultimately tapped it in. He had a few other good moments around the box but could have been more direct. Chido Obi – 8 – A mixed bag on the night, he did well to dribble out of pressure at times but then let himself down with his passing. However, at the end of the day, his job is to score goals and he did just that with two to his name, showing a good poacher’s instinct for both. Substitutes Diego Leon – 6.5 – Showed good strength in duels and kept it simple in possession. Tyler Fletcher – 8 – He oozed class at the base of the midfield as he moved the ball around with both quick passes and also line-splitting long passes. Reece Munro – 7 – His first appearance back in over three months, and he looked sharp with some driving runs out from the back and was strong in his challenges. Gabriele Biancheri – 8 – A goal and an assist off the bench; you cannot ask for much more. He had a bit of luck with the deflection on his goal but did well to create the space in the first place. Then he assisted Obi with a clever threaded pass into the box and could have had another assist with a similar pass earlier on. Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Colm Murphy A football obsessed Canadian who moved to England to enjoy the beautiful game. Colm has been keen follower of Manchester United’s famed academy since seeing a fresh faced Adnan Januzaj for the club’s u18s and has been writing about football with a focus on youth development for over 10 years. You can follow him X: RedYouthUnited.