Jores Okore shone in Aston Villa’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United on Saturday.
For all the headlines declaring the end of Manchester United’s winning streak, there should be just as many hailing the performance of Aston Villa on Saturday.
Paul Lambert’s side dug deep and ensured they took a share of the spoils against United, and they could even have snatched the win were it not for some more fine goalkeeping from David de Gea.
Villa’s defence was outstanding throughout, breached only once when Radamel Falcao headed home, and Jores Okore deserves special praise as the Danish defender showed why there will be life after Ron Vlaar if and when the Dutchman moves on.
Okore is only 22, but the Villa centre-back looks like he has been playing the game for far longer than that.
Against United, Okore had a passing accuracy of 96 per cent – an outstanding figure in itself – while he made 13 effective clearances (eight with his feet and five with his head).
He also made one outfield block and he won three ground duels, one aerial duel and three interceptions.
| Passing Accuracy | Outfield Blocks | Effective Clearances | Effective Headed Clearances | Duels Won | Aerials Won | Interceptions Won | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jores Okore | 96% | 1 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 90 |
In short, Okore made a massive contribution to Villa’s point against United and at this rate Lambert could have one of the league’s most promising defenders on his hands.
Just 10 games into his Villa career, Okore already looks destined to be a star.
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