Time must now surely be wearing thin for Erik ten Hag at Manchester United.
Of course, the Dutchman has had external forces hindering the club’s development this term but the fact of the matter is that results haven’t been good enough.
United are on the verge of exiting the Champions League after a comical 3-3 draw in midweek against Turkish opposition Galatasaray.
It was a result that typified their shoddiness in recent times, with a 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United on Saturday evening only exacerbating their problems.
This side couldn’t be further from the days of Sir Alex Ferguson if they tried. Being devoid of a ruthless streak in front of goal is one thing but the work rate is remarkably bad. This doesn’t look like a team willing to fight for the badge, let’s put it that way.
Man United’s worst player vs Newcastle
Take your pick. There certainly wasn't a lack of poor performers in red at St James’ Park this weekend.
For instance, it was down Diogo Dalot’s left flank that Kieran Trippier was able to exploit to lay the ball on a plate for Anthony Gordon’s winner with the Portuguese partially at blame for the loss.
However, the distinct lack of threat and indeed desire from some of those in attack must be questioned above all else.
Man Utd teen who's worth more than Mainoo deserves one last chance
The Red Devils have one teenage talent on their books who could still be deserving of a first-team opportunity.
ByRobbie WallsDec 1, 2023
Last weekend against Everton it looked as though things had begun to click again. Anthony Martial picked up a confidence-boosting goal but you wouldn’t have thought it on this occasion.
Picked ahead of Rasmus Hojlund, the Frenchman barely had a kick in the northeast, leaving the pitch after 61 minutes having taken just 17 touches – 36 fewer than Andre Onana – and made only eight accurate passes. A torrid night indeed.
However, arguably even worse was Marcus Rashford. Last term the wide man was in exceptional form for the Red Devils, scoring 30 times in 56 outings. However, he has endured a distinctly poor 2023/24 campaign to date, finding the net on only two occasions from 18 matches. To make matters worse, one of those strikes was from the penalty spot.
The loss to Newcastle typified Rashford’s struggles in recent times, notably criticised for a lack of tracking back and a lack of effort.
Content creator Liam Canning was quick to notice this, suggesting the England international was “genuinely shocking” against the Magpies.
Touches
22
55
Accurate Passes
11/17 (65%)
27/33 (82%)
Key Passes
0
2
Crosses
0/1
1/3
Expected Goals (xG)
0
0.96
Expected Assists (xA)
0.01
0.12
Duels Won
1/4
5/8
Tackles
0
2
Stats via Sofascore.
Indeed, when comparing him to the match-winner it becomes abundantly clear why. Having been withdrawn just after the hour mark by Ten Hag, the 26-year-old did so after completing just 65% of his 17 attempted passes.
Like Martial, there was a distinct lack of touches for Rashford, who took only 22 throughout the evening. What makes matters worse is that the England man didn’t register a single shot.
Manchester Evening News correspondent Samuel Luckhurst perhaps summed up his display best, writing: “Fortunate to start and he was poor in attack and slack in defence, offering Wan-Bissaka no protection. Should not have started”. That came as the reporter gave him a dismal 2/10 match rating.
Luckhurst is correct, however. Even with Antony on the bench, this felt like an incorrect call. The Brazilian is yet to register a single goal involvement this term but they have been just as bad as each other.
Both contribute very little in the final third and struggle to track back. Any degree of work rate or effort to help the team defensively is non-existent. If the £300k-per-week Rashford was scoring goals then this could probably be ignored. Sadly that is not the case. It’s time for the club’s number 10 to be given a spot on the bench.