Toby Collyer: Manchester United’s Next Hot Prospect
Manchester United midfielder Toby Collyer has recently signed a new contract with the Red Devils, taking him up to 2027 with the option of a further year if the club wishes to do so. Collyer joined the club in 2022 from Brighton and Hove Albion and has impressed for the under-18s and 21s teams under Travis Binnion.
In February 2023, Manchester United won their first trophy under Erik ten Hag in a 2-0 win against Newcastle United. After their victory, Ten Hag was seen talking to Kobbie Mainoo about his future at the club and how this could one day be him. Just over a year later, Manchester United won the FA Cup against Manchester City, where Kobbie Mainoo starred and scored the second goal of the game. Again, Hag was seen talking to another player on the pitch who wasn’t involved; his name was Toby Collyer.
Who Is Toby Collyer?
Ralf Rangnick only signed one player for Manchester United in his short time at the club and that was Toby Collyer from Brighton and Hove Albion. Rangnick presented many players to Manchester United, who have already proven to be great players, and the only one he was trusted on was Toby Collyer. Since then, he has impressed several key figures within Manchester United, leading to seven appearances on the bench last season and the captaincy in the friendly against Rosenborg BK.
As a player, he has been compared to several different profiles, but most notably Frenkie De Jong.
Erik ten Hag was known for his strong desire to have Frenkie De Jong at Old Trafford, spending most of his first summer pursuing his former Ajax prodigy. However, their chase for the Dutchman was of course unsuccessful and Kobbie Mainoo has stepped up into that place but is often overran or left isolated by his midfield partners. Perhaps, rather than having a true defensive midfielder, ten Hag will look to play a midfield duo of Collyer and Mainoo, where both players have the ability to defend and attack as a number 6, 8, or 10. This could see a return to the ‘old-school’ 4-4-2 formation, explaining why Manchester United signed another striker in Joshua Zirkzee, despite having Rasmus Højlund already at the club.
How Good Is Toby Collyer?
The first thing to know about Toby Collyer is how tactically intelligent he is; he reads the game very well in an attacking and defensive sense. Collyer moves into spaces when other players vacate them and he can be an influence on attacking moves as well as a ball-winner defensively. Credit Youth Football Highlights for the videos the screenshots are taken from.
Collyer (number 8) begins this move in the defensive midfield position as part of the midfield two in this game (with Zachary Baumann). Omari Forson (the number 11) moves out of his position and onto the wing, leaving space in the right half-space in the box. Ethan Ennis (the number 10) can’t move into this position because he already has a marker, but Toby Collyer does not.
Due to his tactical intelligence, Collyer recognises this and makes a run into the space before asking for the ball from Forson. This is known as an underlap and is a tactical move used by several managers throughout Europe, such as Pep Guardiola and Julian Nagelsmann, in their positional play systems.
Collyer receives the ball inside the box and aims to put a low cross in but the West Brom players recognise the danger before the Manchester United strikers recognise the opportunity. While the cross wasn’t successful and a goal wasn’t scored, Collyer turned nothing into a goal-scoring opportunity and a corner with just one run through space.
Just after Manchester United went 1-0 up from an own goal, West Brom took a kickoff and made a slow pass back to their central defender. Collyer recognises the pressing trigger (a slow back pass) and drives ahead of the rest of his team, pressing the defender. To many, this would appear similar to what Bruno Fernandes does; however, Fernandes often fails to cover potential passes and instead presses erratically. Rather than help the team, this just loses a presence in midfield and is a reason Manchester United can be frequently overrun. But Collyer is different.
Collyer makes an arching run and covers the pass to the number 10 and then the other player, leaving the defender with just two options. However, he stalls on the ball and Collyer takes this opportunity and steals the ball away from him, leaving him in on goal. The former Brighton midfielder slows his run to allow McNeill and Ennis to catch up to him but they aren’t quick enough. This hesitancy allows the goalkeeper to close the angle and Collyer doesn’t score. Despite that, it shows how much of a threat Collyer can be out of possession with his intelligent pressing.
Another impressive part of Toby Collyer’s game is his ability to receive on the half-turn, unlike so many of Manchester United’s current selection of midfielders. In this screenshot, Aljofree plays a pass into the feet of Collyer and he immediately turns, placing his body in between the man and the ball. When used, this is very effective because it forces the opponent to foul you or they are out of the game and you have beat them.
This leaves him driving at the opposition defence, having bypassed the entirety of the midfield. Collyer makes a pass through to McNeill but the striker’s touch is poor and he drags the shot wide. However, it is another example of how intelligent Collyer is as a footballer and why Erik ten Hag likes him so much.
The question is, will he stay at the club this season or go out on loan to gain some senior experience? The talent is clearly there, but will we see it in a Manchester United shirt sooner or later?
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