Weird how people have managed to ignore this and pretend that he's been poor every time he's gone onto the pitch recently.
Indeed, he was excellent against City too. He's a player with a very specific skill set and as such he's very useful for big games, i.e. when you need that added bit of height, physicality and defensive assurance in midfield, while also providing the ability to run with the ball with speed into space afforded by opponents who commit men forward.
If he could start adding the odd goal here and there again then it would make him more useful in other games too but I have a feeling those three goals were an unsustainable hot streak. I doubt you'll ever get more than five in a league campaign from him.
Whether we can afford to carry a player like that is a completely different argument but I hate how he's suddenly become our worst player in people's eyes. We have far worse footballers at this club who desperately need shifting and replacing. Can falls into the in-between bracket for me: sell if you receive a very good offer and have an upgrade lined up, but otherwise he'll remain a very useful squad player and project for the long-term who isn't always being used at the right times because of a lack of options elsewhere.
In instances like this I prefer to blame the manager and the club with the ninth best resources in world football for unnecessarily leaving ourselves short in several areas and therefore relying so much on a raw, young footballer who not so long ago many people were claiming to be the best thing since sliced bread.
