With the derby madness having ended, many Manchester United fans will feel confident that their star players are capable of finally matching Manchester City's. A successful window with Ibrahimovic, Bailly, Mkhitaryan and Pogba being brought in, United fans will feel for once in recent times that they have top quality players who are bound to bring success with them.
Early performances have reflected these beliefs but it's important that fans don't get carried away just quite yet. Players who move to the Premier League tend to start their seasons in blazing hot form only for it to subside later on when the intensity of the league catches up to them. United fans should know this more than anyone from recent experiences. Darmian stands out as the prime example.
Last season he started off so well that fans were convinced the right back spot was his to keep for many years as it appeared that he had no direct competitors. At the time there was no other real right back in the squad with Antonio Valencia filling in and was only ever considered to be 'doing a job'.
Advert
Yet, a couple games on it became apparent that Darmian's form had slipped away. He started to look sluggish and as if he was a deer caught in headlights, unable to keep up with the pace of the game.
His position was suddenly under risk and Valencia started to fill in for him. It says it all that although Valencia wasn't performing particularly well by any means, Darmian still struggled to make the right back position his own. Even now he's yet to see a minute of the new season.
The only difference now is Valencia has actually been performing well and Darmian should be worried for his position in the squad. Particularly because of the constant Fabinho rumours.
Normally Darmian would be the kind of full back Mourinho loves- solid at the back and supports his winger well so it's clear to see how some players need time to adapt to the league. Memphis is another clear example. Most United fans are yet to see him at his best. Often frustrating, he never particularly performed well in the Premier League but his one saving grace was his performances in Europe.
One of his first goals came in the Champions League where he outshone his teammates yet when he was played later on in the week in the Premier League he failed to put in the same sort of performance or anywhere near it really.
Advert
Eventually he was dropped to the bench and has also failed to recover since. The first season syndrome isn't exclusive to players coming from abroad only. Schneiderlin made the step up from Southampton to Manchester United but has yet to put in the consistent performances required at this level.
It was clear to everyone what he brings to a team at Southampton but at Manchester United he's looked the opposite. The player himself has admitted to his underwhelming performances and knows he was lucky to be called up to the France squad, although he didn't get to play a single minute of the Euros.
It's for these reasons and examples that United fans should hold back on the excitement of having such fantastic talents in Ibrahimovic, Bailly, Pogba and Mkhitaryan.
Bar Mkhitaryan everyone has performed remarkably so far until the derby. However, recently at Hull, Pogba and Ibrahimovic both appeared to struggle a bit and didn't replicate their performances in the other games. Whether this and the derby were just one off performances is anyone's guess but the upcoming fixtures will be a chance for them to show that they are in the small group of players who seamlessly slot into the Premier League.
The derby was another fine example of new signings beginning to show signs of first season syndrome. Time will only tell but Pogba, Bailly, Ibrahimovic and Mkhitaryan all looked a shadow of themselves during Saturday's game and hardly justified their starts at all.
Advert
With several direct competitors in each of their positions they'll start to look worryingly over their shoulders. Ibrahimovic scored the consolation goal for United but otherwise put in a poor performance.
The ball seemed to bounce off of his feet every time it came to him, he failed to hold up the play when needed and even scuffed his shot when Lingard set him up for an easy finish with Bravo far from his goal completely.If he finished the chance, United would have gone into the dressing room at half time lucky to be drawing with City 2-2.
However, most players struggle in their first seasons and United fans would be wise to hold off on the celebrations just yet. Every player deserves time to settle into a new team and new league before being properly judged on their quality.
Advert
Early signs though will have every United fan hopeful that the new squad members can continue with their remarkable performances. Strangely enough, Mourinho seems to be willing to slowly bed in only one of the new transfers in Mkhitaryan.
Only time will tell whether, because of this, he'll be the one to put in the most consistent performances all season. United fans will be hoping that none of the new transfers suffer from first season syndrome and continue to fire on all cylinders.
Words by: Marwan Harraz
Featured Image Credit: