Nick Powell: 5 Reasons Why Manchester United Star Can Be the Next Paul Scholes

Nick Powell: 5 Reasons Why Manchester United Star Can Be the Next Paul Scholes

Manchester United  saw off Wigan in clinical fashion Saturday in a game that marked the start of two players' careers with Manchester United.

While Alexander Buttner was the star of the show, Nick Powell's debut may be more important.

Mark down this time and date—4.36 p.m. GMT on September 15, 2012. It may the moment a future United great began his career.

Before joining United in a £6 million move, Powell learned his trade in the famed Crewe Alexandra Academy.

There was much speculation when he signed about what his role would be in the side and when he would be introduced.

Despite playing primarily as a striker at Crewe, Sir Alex Ferguson saw the youngster as a midfielder.

Some also thought he would be loaned out for a year, but he put that talk to bed just 10 minutes into his debut.

With a drop of the shoulder and a shimmy of the hips, he had sight of goal and unleashed an unstoppable shot.

It was a finish reminiscent of a young Paul Scholes, showing the calmness and ability Scholes exudes to this day.

At 37 years old, Scholes' days at the club are nearing the end, but could United have found the man to replace him?

Here are five reasons why that might be the case.

 1.He has the Perfect Mentor

Being labeled ''the next'' anyone can often be more of a curse than a compliment. It sets the bar so high that it's almost impossible to succeed. 

I'm not going to argue that Powell will have anywhere near the impact Scholes did at United, but he could fill his role in midfield for years to come.

While Powell is far from the finished article, he has at least a year to learn his trade by training and playing alongside the man he hopes to emulate one day.

Scholes has already dipped his toes into the world of coaching and I couldn't think of a better player to learn from.

There is no ego to the man, so he won't have any issue imparting knowledge to his successor. He loves United and thus will do anything he can to help Powell.

And once Scholes retires, you can be sure he will remain at the club and continue to guide the youngster.

Aside from everything he can teach him on the pitch, Powell would be well-served in copying Scholes off the pitch.

Scholes is the antithesis of the modern-day footballer, keeping to himself and ignoring the celebrity culture.

It would be in Powell's best interests to shadow Scholes' life, on and off the pitch

2. He Is Close To Home

There are so many pitfalls waiting for a young footballer when they step into the limelight.

From nowhere they become instant celebrities overnight. They have everything a young man could ever dream of—fame, money and girls.

It is easy to let the fast life get the better of you. They often forget that it was hard work and dedication that got them there in the first place.

They are befriended by sycophants who are along for the ride and don't have the player's best interests in mind.

The life of a young player can also be a lonely existence, despite playing in front of thousands of people every week and being adored by millions.

With the game now global, they can find themselves miles from home in a foreign country with no friends or family.

Let's hope Powell will avoid both issues. As a native of Crewe, he now finds himself less than an hour away from home.

That means if he get too big for his boots, his friends and family will be on hand to drag him back down to earth.

It also gives him an easy escape if he needs to get away from the pressure of Old Trafford and clear his head.

3. He Has A Head For The Big Occasion

Many a player has come to Old Trafford and succumbed to the pressure of playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world.

It takes a special type of personality to succeed at United and an even more special one to excel.

In his short career, Powell has already shown himself to be a man of huge character who is unfazed by the pressure of a big occasion.

In his first year as a starter, his influence grew as the pressure of qualifying for the playoffs intensified.

Then, to further cement his big-game reputation, he was unfazed by appearing at Wembley in the League 2 Playoff final and scored a wonder goal to put Crewe into the lead.

Upon joining United, he would've been forgiven if he took a few months to settle into life at the club. He was, after all, stepping up three divisions and was just 18 years old.

Instead he took less than 15 minutes to announce himself to the Old Trafford faithful with a beautiful goal to complete a 4-0 rout of Wigan.

No matter what division you are in, the game is the same. It doesn't matter if you're playing in front of 10,000 fans in Alexandra Stadium or 75,000 in Old Trafford.

All that changes is the pressure and the quality of the opposition. On Saturday, Powell showed that he has the talent and the mentality to succeed at this level. 

Now he just has to put the work in.

  4.  He Is Already a Great Finisher

Sir Alex Ferguson has long been a believer in the need for the central midfield to score goals to complement the attackers. 

First it was Bryan Robson and then Paul Scholes. But since Scholes adopted a deeper role, we have struggled to score.

If we could add a threat from centre midfield, it would make it harder for the opposition to defend, freeing up space for our wingers and strikers.

In his short career, Powell has shown himself to be a finisher of great ability. He can shoot with both feet and is strong in the air.

But that won't be enough to succeed at the highest level. The key to scoring from midfield is timing your runs to arrive at the right moment.

Scholes made a habit of ghosting into the box unnoticed, and Frank Lampard is the unquestioned master of it in recent years.

On Saturday, Powell showed that he could have that timing. He arrived onto the ball at speed and in space, which gave him the time to smash the ball home.

If he can combine timing with his physical attributes, he could regularly hit double figures for years to come.

5.He Is at the Perfect Breeding Ground

As a young midfielder, there are few better clubs to go to than Manchester United. A list of young midfielders who have developed at the club in recent years is a who's who of English football.

At the top level, David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes have come through in recent years to have incredible careers. At a lower level, you have players like Nicky Butt and Darren Fletcher who have had solid, if unspectacular careers. There is also a host of players who have graduated to have respectable top-flight careers after leaving the club.

If you go further back, there are midfielders like Bobby Charlton, George Best, Duncan Edwards, Nobby Stiles, David Sadler, Sammy McIlroy and John Giles who are considered greats of the game.

If you add in players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Roy Keane, Nani and others who came to the club at a young age and became stars, you begin to see the trend.

Manchester United have a long history of producing or helping develop top young midfielders.

He also comes to the club as they try to build the next great team. He is surrounded by top young talents in all positions who will form the spine of United for years to come.

In David De Gea, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Tom Cleverly and Danny Welbeck, Powell joins a team that has a great foundation.

Manchester United: Power Ranking the Top 5 Players Through the EPL Season so Far

Manchester United: Power Ranking the Top 5 Players Through the EPL Season so Far

5. Michael Carrick

Kicking off our list is England international Michael Carrick, who's performances in central midfield so far this season for the Red Devils have been very strong.

United haven't been as strong in the middle of the pitch in recent years as they would have liked—perhaps because they are looking for the next Paul Scholes—and whilst Carrick isn't the solution to all their problems, the experienced midfielder has been solid throughout the year so far and has distributed the ball well right across the pitch.

Carrick has had excellent vision and distribution through the first three games and whilst the Red Devils are still lacking a physical presence in the middle of the pitch, he has filled the role well in tandem with Tom Cleverley. He hasn't turned the ball over so far this year—leading the team in both average passes per game as well as pass completion percentage.

Plenty of work still to grow for Carrick, but if we're just talking about the first three games of the season, it's been a very solid start from the 31-year-old.

4. Tom Cleverley

ard to have Michael Carrick in here and not mention his counterpart in central midfield Tom Cleverley, who has filled the more typical box-to-box midfielder role well so far this year.

Cleverley's mobility and quick, precise passing game has been a helpful tool in attack for the Red Devils—as have his defensive skills, currently sitting second in the team for tackles per match.

Like Carrick, he too has an excellent pass completion percentage (92 percent) and sits second in the team for average passes per match.

His relationship with the veteran Carrick will be crucial for United's Premier League chances this season; so far it's been a solid start in my eyes and one that will continue to yield great rewards throughout the year.

3. Rafael Da Silva

Prior to the start of the Premier League season this year, I strongly advocated that Rafael da Silva should not be started at right-back for United this year—feeling that Phil Jones offered greater defensive stability and was simply a better player than Rafael. 

But following on from his strong performances with Brazil at the 2012 London Olympics, the young defender has been superb for the Red Devils so far this year and for mine, has been their best defender through the opening three matches.

Yes, he attacks sometimes when he probably should and yes, he did make that shocker of a mistake against Southampton, but once you consider all that he brings to the team and their attack, the positives far outweigh the negatives for Rafael this year.

The 22-year-old currently sits top two in the team for tackles and interceptions per game, but also in chances created, pass completion percentage and goals. He is becoming an invaluable asset in both attack and defense, and has solidified his position at right-back for the time being because of it.

2. Robin Van Persie

Robin van Persie's transfer from Arsenal to Manchester United this summer was one of the most talked about, discussed and analyzed moves in the history of the Premier League. How he would fit with Wayne Rooney, Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson were all scrutinized and Van Persie entered Old Trafford with a great deal of expectation surrounding him because of it.

Through two games, Van Persie has silenced his critics—emphatically booting a hat-trick against Southampton that really, should have been four goals if he hadn't botched his penalty attempt. Those three goals added to his previous goal against Fulham—giving him four for the season and establishing himself as one to the premier strikers in the league once more.

He is also averaging 1.3 chances created per game for his United teammates—proving that his addition to the Red Devils squad is one that will produce great reward this season. And with four goals in two matches, you'd have to say that those rewards are already starting to be seen.

1. Shinji Kagawa

But as good and exciting Robin van Persie has been through the opening few games of the English Premier League, nobody has been greater at Manchester United this year than Shinji Kagawa—United's "other" transfer over the summer transfer window.

Kagawa has quickly become the heart and soul of United's attack—the driving force behind their creativity and go-foward, and is thriving with quality players around him.

The Japanese international already has a goal this year, as well as an average of 1.7 chances created per match. He is completing his passes at over 90 percent completion rate and sits in the top few players at United for average match rating this year.

But those numbers aside, Kagawa has been United's best player because he has become their most important player this year. He has become their drive through the middle could be the attacking spark that they were desperately missing last season in their attack. 

Time will tell whether Ferguson's summer signing can win the Premier League title for United in his first year at the club, but at just 23 years of age, Kagawa no doubt has a bright future at Old Trafford. And if he continues to play as well as he has done to start this season, his name may echo around the Manchester club for several more seasons to come.

Robin Van Persie Goes From Villain To Hero

 Robin Van Persie Goes from Villain to Hero with Hat Trick Against Southampton

Robin van Persie bailed himself out.

In the 69th minute against Southampton, the Manchester United striker stepped up to the penalty spot with a chance to equalize. Instead of blasting it past the keeper, van Persie attempted a cheeky, Panenka-style chip that was easily saved by Kelvin Davis.

With United down 2-1, it looked like van Persie had tried to be too clever for his own good. Southampton had been going toe-to-toe with the Red Devils, and United didn't look like they would get a better opportunity than a penalty.

It looked like van Persie had wasted United's best chance, and he was going to hear it from both the visiting and home crowds.

Then the tides turned.

United attacked ruthlessly, and they kept the Saints on their heels. Van Persie found the net twice, giving himself a hat trick and Untied three necessary points.

For van Persie, those final two goals were priceless.

Manchester United fans are intelligent and spoiled. They know what it takes to win trophies, and they've watched their team do it time and again. If Wayne Rooney (injured for now) offers a better chance to win over van Persie, they won't have a problem benching the Dutch international.

By missing that penalty kick, van Persie looked to be the villain for United. Suddenly, everyone was wondering how quickly Rooney could come back; they needed a guy they could rely on.

Then van Persie did what he does best: score goals.

The former Arsenal man found the net twice in the waning moments, giving United the three points they wanted, even if they only deserved one. Moreover, it helped everyone forget that missed penalty.

Suddenly, van Persie had reminded everyone that he scores when he wants; he simply didn't need that penalty because he's much more into the theatrics.

Van Persie understands that two last-minute goals are more impressive than a 69th minute penalty. He knows what it takes to become a legend, and he took the necessary steps to do that.

OK, so maybe that wasn't on purpose. Nevertheless, van Persie better count his blessings because it's a lot better to be a hero than a villain.

And he was very close to finding out what the latter feels like at United. Instead, his heroics made him an idol for this week.

He just needs to maintain that heroic mindset.

Shinji Kagawa Is More Important To United Than RVP

    This summer, in what was probably one of the biggest moves in the history of the Premier League, Manchester United managed to sign Dutch striker, Robin van Persie, from bitter rivals Arsenal for a total fee of £24m.

In all the excitement of his arrival, the pundits seemed to almost completely forget about United’s other key summer signing, Shinji Kagawa, who has already impressed in both of his appearances for the Red Devils in the league so far this season.

Believe it or not, despite not being the headline grabber that van Persie has been, Kagawa has the potential to have more of an impact on the United fray this season than RVP does.

Van Persie is a world class player who has been brought to the club to finish chances and bring United’s goal tally to a championship winning level.

However, should van Persie somehow fail to live up to the hype – or simply just pick up an injury or need a rest from play – then United will always have Wayne Rooney, a player of a similar calibre to RVP, to step into his place and take up the reigns of lead goal scorer.

In essence, the signing of van Persie has guaranteed that, barring a hugely unlikely spree of injuries, United will now always have a quality man upfront to bang in the goals on a regular basis.

However, what Kagawa provides is so much more than this.

Kagawa is the man behind those goals, the very reason that they will come to be in the first place.

It’s Shinji’s creative play that sets up goals, and with the likes of Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes now coming so close to retirement, the Japanese International will have to step up to the plate almost immediately.

On Sunday night Barcelona took on Osasuna in a match that should of, in theory, been a relative walk over for the Spanish giants.

However, with star player Xavi absent from proceedings Barcelona were forced into changing their style of play in favour of risky long balls and mad runs at the Osasuna defence.

Without their playmaker and key man in terms of keeping possession, they crumbled, and were saved only when Lionel Messi managed to step it up a gear and grab a brace of goals for a more than lucky victory.

An example much closer to home would be United’s very own Paul Scholes.

Last season United were severely lacking any sort of creative midfield player when Tom Cleverly picked up an injury in a 5-0 victory over Bolton early on in the season.

With no apparent replacement for the role, Sir Alex managed to convince the legend Scholes to come out of retirement.

The Ginger Ninja shone once again for United, and managed to bring them within inches of winning the Premier League title once more.

The point I'm making is that these sides, however heaped full of talent they are, cannot function to the maximum without that key centrally minded midfielder.

               This season Scholes will more than likely take a back seat to the new crop of United players.

In his first two matches for the club, Kagawa managed to hold up the ball brilliantly in the middle of the park, retaining possession for United and providing both the centre forwards and the wingers with plenty of opportunities to carve out attacks.

His partnership with Tom Cleverly (a player that despite showing immense talent, will not have the same effect as Kagawa on the side) has the potential to be one of the most important in the Premier League this season for any team.

Sure, van Persie will be an out of this world signing for the Red Devils, he will net countless goals and continue his reign as one of the most deadly strikers in Premier League history.

But Kagawa is the glue that will hold the Manchester United side together this year.

His role wont be as noticeable, or perhaps even as memorable, as the contributions that the striker will make. But it will be utterly crucial.

Without van Persie, United will always have Rooney. Without Kagawa, United are somewhat up a creek without a paddle.










                                                             

Early Pretenders And Contenders For EPL Title

                               Early Contenders And Pretenders For EPL Title

CHELSEA- 

                                          Chelsea sit atop the English Premier League table with nine points from three matches—yet to be beaten and yet to have a result that didn't see them finish with a two-goal victory.

Granted their win against Reading was a little closer than the scoreline reads, but the fact remains that this is a very, very good team that simply must be considered a Premier League threat.

New arrival Eden Hazard has Stamford Bridge buzzing with anticipation—especially if he can play Fernando Torros back into the form that saw him make that sensational transfer from Liverpool all those years ago. 

There's nothing more that Roberto Di Matteo's men can do than win—which is exactly what they have done in every match so far this year. Looking very good early.

Status: CONTENDERS

  2.Manchester City-

                                                     

Manchester City haven't been the clinical, attacking superpower that we so often saw at times last season, but they have achieved results when it mattered most.

We know exactly how good this squad is after we watched them clinch the 2011/12 English Premier League trophy and we know that the have plenty of potential game-winning players.

Roberto Mancini has no doubt had some frustrating times after barely getting a win against Southampton and a draw against Liverpool, but you have to think that with a fully-fit Sergio Aguero, City are still one of the danger teams in the league this year.

 Status: CONTENDERS                              

3.Manchester United-

With the arrival of Shinji Kagawa and Robin van Persie, Manchester United have the potential to be a very good attacking team this season. And if their defense can stay healthy this year, there's absolutely no reason why the Red Devils cannot win the Premier League.

Backed by one of the greatest managers in world football, United have the pieces to challenge once more for the premiership and now boast the attacking components that they lacked at times last year.

United haven't started the season in the most convincing fashion, but similar to City, give them time and they'll prove why they're one of the best sides in the EPL. Once Rooney, Van Persie and Kagawa all get on the same page, it could be one heck of a ride for Manchester United this year.

Status: CONTENDERS

4.Tottenham - 

Andre Villas-Boas replaced Harry Redknapp at White Hart Lane and was supposed to usher in a new wave of quality football at the North London club. The former Chelsea boss bought well over the summer transfer window, and Spurs were primed for a big year in the Premier League.

But so far, it's just been a flop.

Tottenham didn't offer a great deal against Newcastle United, and whilst away to the Magpies was a tough fixture to begin the season on, a home match to West Bromwich Albion should have been a formality.

Spurs have the players, but they aren't what they were last season in terms of cohesion. They simply are not "gelling" like they were last year, and whilst that will happen eventually, it won't happen any time this season for Tottenham.

Status: PRETENDERS

5.Liverpool-

Make no mistake, Liverpool were a whole lot better against Manchester City than they were in their opening round against West Bromwich Albion, but the fact remains that Liverpool aren't a title threat in anyone's minds this year.

One good game doesn't prove anything—especially when the match itself features some glaring issues in defense and momentary brain failures by the team in question.

Players like Raheem Sterling and Joe Allen give Liverpool fans hope that the future is still strong at Anfield—which it is—and the Reds will challenge the top teams at times this season.

But consistency is key, and it simply isn't there for the Reds. Not this year anyway.

Status: PRETENDERS

6.Arsenal-Arsenal have had two games and haven't scored any goals. They might have started the same way last year, but this time around, they don't have a Dutch international striker to single-handedly bring them back into Premier League and Champions League contention.

They have two strikers in Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski that haven't found their feet in the Premier League this year and whilst Santi Cazorla is tearing it up in midfield, if he doesn't have the support or assistance around him, it might as well all be in vain.

Yes, Arsenal started the same way last season and proved to be one of the league's best, but without a go-to striker and a goal-scoring threat, this year doesn't look like featuring the same resurrection that last year did.

Finishing top-four looks tough enough for the Gunners. 

Status: PRETENDERS

7.Everton-Tell me why Everton shouldn't be considered Premier League contenders this season—their defense, midfield and attack are all capable of stopping and beating the big-names in the EPL as they've already proven in their defeat of Manchester United.

In that match, the Toffees simply had too many options in midfield and attack and with explosive talent like Marouane Fellani, Kevin Mirallas and Nikica Jelavic, they simply must be considered a genuine danger team this year.

A top-four spot is by no means out of reach for David Moyes' men, and they'll have the added bonus of no Champions League fixtures to focus on during the latter stages of the season.

Crazy maybe, but Everton are genuine contenders this year for mine.

Status: CONTENDERS 

7. Swansea City-No Brendan Rodgers. No Gylfi Sigurdsson. No Joe Allen. All Swansea had was some midfielder called Michu and a brand-new manager—surely they couldn't be a side worth watching in the EPL this year?

We all stand corrected.

Swansea City are playing an exciting brand of football that has seen them win their first two games in perfect fashion—scoring plenty of goals up one end and conceding absolutely nothing down the other end.

They are yet to play a quality team as of yet so the jury is still out on the Swans, but can they continue their current form into their upcoming matches against Everton and Stoke City, Swansea could well have a few more surprises in store this year.

Leaning towards: Contenders 

8. Newcastle United-Alan Pardew's men were the talk of the league last season after their incredible year—finishing higher than the European Champions despite only recently being promoted to the top-class. They had all the pieces to build on for the new year, and many therefore considered Newcastle United to be a top side in the EPL this year.

And whilst they have had a ridiculously difficult opening two matches—Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea—Newcaslte haven't quite looked as together and cohesive as they were last season, particularly going forward.

I know it's early days, but where you lie after the first eight or nine rounds of competition is rarely far from where you finish the season, and in Newcaslte's case, they must start to find the mojo they had towards the end of last year sooner rather than later.

Aston Villa, Everton, Norwich City and Reading are next up for Newcastle, which will give us a better indication of where the Magpies are at this year. They should win most of those matches, if not all, and unless they walk away with at least nine points from those four games, they're cannot be considered contenders this year.

Jury is out for four weeks, but closing down fast on Newcastle.

Leaning towards: Pretenders