Thread on Alex Telles, the Left Back linked to Manchester United. This thread will include his Ball Progression skills, Offensive output and Defensive output.

Ball Progression : It is the job of a modern day full back to make runs forward and sometimes he has to carry ball from defensive positions as well. Telles isn't exactly the 'FAST' guy and uses his physicality instead to dribble past opponents/carry the ball forward. 1/n

This is a small problem as many teams in the Premier League build out from the back and Telles relies on his teammates for ball progression and focuses more on his delivery in the final third (which is something united have lacked from their fullbacks) .

Defensive Output : Although most teams prefer attacking fullbacks, the defensive side cannot be completely ignored.
Telles is very good at reading the game shown by his 8.6 interceptions every 30 possessions for the opposition (opp–30). But he is fairly poor in 1V1 duels (1/n)

as said earlier he lacks raw pace to which is key to staying with the player. This along with his low agility and unwillingness to go into 1V1 challenges are why he is not great defensively. (2/2)

Offensive Output : Telles prefers to cross the ball more often, or recycle possession. The stats also back up these assertions Telles averages 4.11 crosses per game and 0.33 smart passes per 90. Below is a comparison between him and United's first choice LB Luke Shaw.

Here we can see that although Shaw's successful passing % is higher, his end product is no where near to Telles. Telles has 1.8 key passes per game compared to Shaw's 0.8. He also has 11 goals and 8 assists to his name while Shaw has ZERO in his last season.

In conclusion, Telles will be the best attacking full back at the club (If he signs for United) and he will also boost our squad depth as Luke Shaw is quite injury prone.

Thanks for reading