Amorim must instantly drop 4/10 Man Utd ace

The temporary period of Ruud Van Nistelrooy in the Manchester United dug-out is now over, with the Dutchman faring incredibly well in the short-term hot seat.

He didn’t taste defeat once as Erik ten Hag’s immediate successor, spearheading an impressive three wins from four to lift the dour mood at Old Trafford, which concluded with a straightforward 3-0 victory over Leicester City in the Premier League this weekend.

Now, Ruben Amorim will take over on a permanent basis and he has some key decisions to make, notably in an underperforming attack.

The player Amorim must axe from Man Utd’s attack

After his particularly poor showing against Leicester on Sunday, winger Marcus Rashford will now be left to wonder how secure his starting position is.

Rashford hasn’t been on his A-Game all season long, amassing just one goal and one assist in league action from 11 total contests.

The 27-year-old attacker only lasted 57 minutes on the Theatre of Dreams turf before Van Nistelrooy changed him out for Alejandro Garnacho, with the Argentine going on to net United’s decisive third strike at the death with a fantastic curled finish past Mads Hermansen.

Whilst Garnacho would lap up all the praise that came his way at the full-time whistle, Rashford must have trudged off wanting to quickly forget his afternoon, with the homegrown Red Devils man registering zero shots on goal, zero key passes and zero accurate crosses when he was on the pitch.

On top of that, Rashford also would squander possession a costly 15 times down the left, alongside also winning just two of the five duels that came his way.

It’s no real shock that Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst was critical of the sub-par United number ten’s display after the game, therefore, with a low 4/10 match rating dished out, as Luckhurst stated that Rashford ‘never got anywhere’ when attempting to attack with conviction.

Consequently, his spot on the left is up for grabs, as Amorim now assesses what options he can call on down this flank moving forward.

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Who Amorim could start over Rashford

The obvious first choice in the queue here is the aforementioned Garnacho, who has been spectacular in flashes for the Red Devils, whilst Rashford has visibly struggled.

Also a product of the illustrious United academy, the South American forward has helped himself to seven goals and four assists in all competitions this season, with his numbers in the bread and butter of the Premier League more encouraging when contrasted with the 27-year-old’s.

Looking at the table above, it’s clear that Garnacho does a lot more on the pitch from his limited minutes than Rashford manages to muster up from more gams time, with the 60-time England international registering two fewer goals than his Argentinian teammate, despite starting three more matches.

Moreover, Garnacho clearly excels as a daring substitute for the Red Devils, with 2.8 shots averaged on goal despite only starting seven times. Whereas, Rashford is less full-throttle in his approach, with a measly 0.9 shots per game.

But, even if the United number 17 is a top-quality option late on when teams are tiring, Rashford’s position is on shaky ground, with the 20-year-old now in line to be Amorim’s starting left winger.

With there also debate down the right-hand side, as Amad Diallo continues to shine in this spot, Amorim has plenty to chew over when it comes to the complexion of his XIs.

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Van Nistelrooy bowed out of his interim duties by guiding Man United to a 3-0 win over Leicester.