Tyler Blackett's suspension is perfect to take the defender away from chaos engulfing Manchester United

Tyler Blackett will sit out Manchester United’s next Premier League game against West Ham United due to suspension on Saturday, but an afternoon in the stands is probably the best place for the rookie defender right now.

At 20, the Manchester-born defender has been the surprise thread through Louis van Gaal’s opening weeks as United manager,

Having impressed the Dutch coach during the club’s summer tour of the United States, Blackett has found himself playing in five of United’s six competitive games this season, but the red card issued to the youngster during the 5-3 defeat at Leicester could not have been better timed.

As promising as Blackett may be, prolonged exposure to the chaos that is currently engulfing the team could do him more harm than good and turn a genuine prospect into another bright young thing who fell by the wayside.

Blackett may be good enough and he may also be old enough, but he would need to be an exceptionally strong-minded individual to avoid being scarred by the experience of the shock therapy that comes with playing in United’s defence at the moment.

Injuries, fitness issues and red tape problems that delayed Marcos Rojo’s availability have compromised United’s defensive options since pre-season, forcing Van Gaal to experiment with a three-man defence and then revert to four at the back, at the same time as changing personnel on a weekly basis.

Confusion has reigned, but Blackett has been the one element of consistency while Phil Jones, Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling have each succumbed to injury.

Van Gaal will have to do without Blackett this weekend, though, as a result of the suspension that will give him much-needed respite and the opportunity to watch and learn from the sidelines.

Some will argue that professional football is about taking your opportunity when it arrives—sink or swim, do or die.

But the problem for Blackett – and this is one that has surely been identified by Van Gaal – is that he needs the guidance of senior colleagues when learning the ropes as a defender.

The summer exits of Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra have left United with an experience vacuum, however, and it cannot be filled by Jones, Smalling or Evans.

All three have titles and international experience to their name, but the dominance of Vidic, Ferdinand and Evra ensured they were always regarded as junior partners alongside their most celebrated team-mates.

They should now be ready to step up and lead from the back, but none possesses the leadership qualities required and they are still looking around for guidance when they should be leading the way.

Imagine how that transmits itself to Blackett, a young defender who sees only uncertainty and confusion from the senior figures who should be cajoling him along.

Blackett could develop into England’s first-choice centre-back for the next decade.

He is blessed with an imposing physique, pace and athleticism and possesses the added bonus of being left-footed.

But there is a danger of him being damaged by his presence in a United team that possesses a Champions League forward line but a back four – or three, depending on Van Gaal’s mood – that would struggle to keep a clean sheet in the Championship.

Loan spells at Blackpool and Birmingham last season saw Blackett make 11 appearances in the Championship, but he will only develop with a prolonged run alongside a character such as Vidic or Ferdinand.

Gary and Phil Neville came through at United with the likes of Steve Bruce, Gary Pallister and Denis Irwin to help them through difficult periods, while Wes Brown benefited from playing alongside Jaap Stam, Ronny Johnsen and Henning Berg.

Evans, Jones and Smalling were supposed to gain similar knowledge from Vidic, but the former United captain’s injury problems hit them hard.

Jones, for one, was signed by Sir Alex Ferguson to replace Ferdinand, with the former manager identifying Vidic as the mentor who would turn Jones into the cornerstone his United’s defence.

But once Vidic injured his cruciate ligament in December 2011, Jones found himself shunted to right-back and his progress has stalled ever since.

Smalling has also been moved around, denied the chance to secure a position at centre-half, and his development has also flat-lined, leaving Van Gaal with two supposed future England centre-backs approaching their mid-20s without the experience and knowledge to claim that position for United.

But if United are not careful, Blackett could go the same way and suffer for over-exposure in uncertain times.

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