Imagine, when Manchester United were being thoroughly humiliated by Liverpool in March, that someone had said the next time Brendan Rodgers' side went to Old Trafford, Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia would be playing as wing-backs.You could have killed a United fan with a statement like that. It seemed then, nine months ago, that it was more likely Young and Valencia would have moved on than playing in unfamiliar positions in the biggest game of the season.But not only were Young and Valencia picked to start against Liverpool last weekend, when the teams were announced the United fans barely noticed. They both started wins over Hull City, Stoke City and Southampton, as full-backs and wing-backs, and played the majority of the 2-1 win at Arsenal.Neither, you would imagine, are long-term solutions for Louis van Gaal. Young, in particular, is only playing because Luke Shaw is sidelined with an ankle injury. But that shouldn't take anything away from what both have achieved at Old Trafford this season.Not many footballers are able to reinvent themselves, but Young and Valencia have done it to win places in the Dutchman's squad for the foreseeable future. And Van Gaal has already shown, with the departures of Danny Welbeck, Javier Hernandez and Shinji Kagawa, that he isn't afraid to cast aside players he doesn't trust.Young and Valencia both arrived at Old Trafford as wingers, but the United squad has moved on since Van Gaal's arrival. And now the attacking positions are taken up by Angel Di Maria, Juan Mata, Adnan Januzaj, Juan Mata and Wayne Rooney.Young and Valencia both played as wing-backs during the summer tour of the United States when Van Gaal first introduced his 3-5-2. And after the game with Inter in Washington DC, Young insisted he was happy to play anywhere if it meant he got to stick around for a bit longer.Its been good to play in the different positions. I started on the left and ended up on the right.I can play in both wing-back positions and if the manager calls on me to do something Ive got every confidence in myself to go out there and play well.Young has been given a chance on the left because of Shaw's injury problems. Valencia might not have played so many games had Rafael stayed fit. But they were far from just stopgaps against Liverpool.Valencia created the chance for Rooney's opener, sliding the ball through Joe Allen's legs before cutting his cross back to the edge of the box. Young set up the second for Mata, offside though it was, nipping inside to whip an inviting cross towards the back post.More impressively given their past lives, they haven't looked uncomfortable defensively. It's not a natural side of a winger's game. But they haven't been the weak links during United's six-game winning run.Had Young and Valencia failed to meet Van Gaal's high standards when they were first given their unfamiliar roles in the summer, it's possible they might have left Old Trafford by now.But they're still there, stepping in to play a key part in what is now looking like the turning point of United's season. None of the six expensive summer signings were in the XI that beat Liverpool on Sunday, a result that triggered cautious talk of a title challenge.Instead, Van Gaal was left to rely on the likes of Valencia and Young. It's likely both will start against Aston Villa on Saturday as United look to extend their winning run to seven. And the United fans at Villa Park won't even bat an eyelid if they do.Read more World Football news on BleacherReport.com
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