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Manchester United’s Toby Collyer broke a 20 year old record in his outstanding display versus Rangers on Thursday night.
The 21 year old made his debut this season in the Community Shield penalty loss to Manchester City in August.
Sadly, he picked up an injury in November and it appeared that he would need to head out on loan to get valuable first team minutes for his professional development.
Nonetheless, the former Brighton and Hove Albion youngster had an impressive cameo in the FA Cup victory over Arsenal earlier this month and Ruben Amorim suggested that his performance had given him a selection headache.
As a result, he got the nod to start ahead of Casemiro in the Europa League and put in a very solid display on the night.
Speaking after the game, Collyer claimed he was desperate for more starts after his fine performance in his first taste of European action under the famous Old Trafford lights.
OptaJoe stats also highlighted the impact that he made on the match.
“Collyer became the first Manchester United midfielder on record (since 2003-04) to record 50+ passes on their first appearance at Old Trafford in major European competition.”
He “also maintained a pass accuracy of at least 94%”, making 48 out of his 51 passes.
94.1% – Toby Collyer tonight became the first Manchester United midfielder on record (since 2003-04) to record 50+ passes on their first appearance at Old Trafford in major European competition while also maintaining a pass accuracy of at least 94% (48/51 – 94.1%). Future. pic.twitter.com/Py3TJuAClT
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 23, 2025
The England Under 20 year old is known for his physicality and his ability to get around the pitch, which certainly suits Amorim’s vision of what his midfielders must do.
Nonetheless, if Collyer can also develop a tight passing game, which his numbers versus the Gers suggest, he could certainly turn himself into a valuable option in the club’s midfield department.
His progress is even more important in the context that Casemiro and Christian Eriksen will almost certainly leave this year and United lack funds to spend lavishly on many replacements.
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