Manchester United’s Ethan Laird has taken London by storm as he is currently impressing during his loan spell with Queens Park Rangers.
Laird has played every minute since joining the west London club and has a goal and an assist to his name in seven appearances so far.
Impressing fans and his manager alike, the youngster was recently named Man of the Match in QPR’s draw with Stoke City.
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Chosen and presented by Simon Mellinger of Hatton’s of London! ????#QPR | #QPRSTO | @HattonLondon pic.twitter.com/UEyHjxQUNS
— QPR Corporate (@QPR_Corporate) September 17, 2022
QPR’s social media team also wanted to praise the right back for his previous performance against Millwall with their official Twitter account stating, “We need to talk about right back ????????????????. Another great performance from Ethan Laird.”
The Loftus Road faithful have also been singing the 21-year-old’s praises with one fan on Twitter saying: “Ethan Laird is my new hero.”
While another said: “Can we take a minute to ask ourselves how we managed to loan Ethan Laird? The more I look at it and the more I think about it, the more it puzzles me. The guy’s mustard.
In response, Laird was compared to another former QPR borrower in Kyle Walker. A current England international, Walker has had a successful career that United fans will be more than happy to see Laird replicate.
Laird is also impressing in terms of statistical measures, as he currently sits fifth in the Whoscored Championship fullback rankings with an average rating of 7.05.
With QPR using the United academy graduate in a right-back role, the experience will serve him well when he returns to United next season.
Having previously been used as a full-back for MK Dons and Swansea, Laird moved to Bournemouth in the second half of last season to gain experience in a more conventional right-back role, but unfortunately spent much of his time on the treatment table. .
But with the experience gained at QPR now clearing up concerns regarding the defensive side of his game, Laird looks set to step into Erik ten Hag’s side as a backup to Diogo Dalot in the future.
With Victor Lindelof and Tyrell Malacia at right-back in recent weeks, a new option for the job is certainly needed, as Aaron Wan-Bissaka appears to be falling out of favor with the new manager.
United have been linked with the likes of Inter Milan’s Denzel Dumfries and Monaco’s Vanderson, but these options won’t come cheap. And Laird could be the solution United need.
