Opinion: Valiant Valencia Shows Character

We are often told how reaction to disappointment is a true test of an individual's character and one thing that was apparent during the FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Arsenal was Antonio Valencia's mental fortitude.

The Ecuadorian has become a regular at right-back and adapted well, considering he was always better known for his attacking instincts. He was even voted January's Player of the Month by the fans and the tie with the Gunners was his 25th outing of the campaign. Only Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie of the outfield players have appeared more times.

Valencia does not say an awful lot and is one of the club's quiet men so his actions always speak louder than his words. When Phil Jones chested to him in the 61st minute and pointed to David De Gea as the best route to keeping possession under pressure, he obliged but under-hit the pass. Danny Welbeck was on his toes and managed to steal in a fraction of a second before the keeper and, of course, found the empty net.

The sight of Welbeck celebrating was, for once, hard to take and the feeling of dejection was still evident all around the home sections of the ground when the Reds restarted the game once the Arsenal players had milked the moment in front of their own travelling supporters.

You would be forgiven for thinking Valencia would have wanted the ground to open up and swallow him but, within seconds, the Londoners were on the attack again with referee Michael Oliver playing the advantage after a late Marcos Rojo tackle. One of the best performers in the Premier League this term, Alexis Sanchez, bounded after a ball down the line and looked to take on an opponent surely at a low ebb.

However, Valencia made a textbook tackle to rob the Chilean and commence an attack that many Reds will argue should have led to a second yellow card for Hector Bellerin for bringing down Ashley Young. When Rooney's free-kick was cleared, Valencia again found himself competing with Sanchez and, this time, he threw a dummy to deceive the former Barcelona forward and make tracks towards Wojciech Szczesny's goal.

The Old Trafford crowd roared at this point, obviously forgiving the error and backing somebody who looked hell-bent on retrieving the situation. It wasn't to be, of course, with the task made much harder by Angel Di Maria's sending-off, but this snapshot of what was, at times, a pulsating game illustrated what it takes to become a footballer at the top level.

Sir Alex Ferguson always spoke of bravery when raiding the transfer market, believing it was a crucial trait in overcoming the glare that comes with playing for United in front of over 75,000 every other match. Valencia did not hide or shirk after Welbeck's strike. He would not have been aware of the instant social media backlash that followed, as it inevitably does after every individual mistake, but hopefully will have been heartened by the vocal backing for his actions in the aftermath of what turned out to be the winner. And that's how it should be.

Louis van Gaal revealed afterwards he felt Valencia had been United's best player on the night. Certainly, he supplied an assist for the assist when feeding Di Maria for the inviting cross that Rooney converted so expertly. He also measured a remarkable pass into the path of Di Maria that led to Szczesny making a rare save on the night. I am sure he will accept he still has lessons to learn defensively but he can be pleased with how he has handled appearing more regularly in the full-back role than he ever has previously.

Football is all about ups and downs. From the elation of a last-minute winner at Newcastle United to being knocked out of the FA Cup on home turf in the very next fixture. Even the draw, pairing the Gunners with lower-league opposition in the semi-final at Wembley, as everybody filtered out of Old Trafford, seemed to compound the misery.

Yet there is no time for feeling sorry for ourselves with a list of upcoming games that reads Tottenham, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Manchester City, Chelsea and Everton. Thankfully, Valencia's response to adversity on Monday night fills me with hope that the squad can provide a similarly positive reaction as a whole on Sunday.

Credit: manutd.com