Unfortunately for Manchester United and their fans, it’s already starting to feel like more of the same in the Premier League this season.
Erik ten Hag’s men may have picked up all three points in their season opener against Fulham, but in the two games since, they haven’t picked up any.
There is still clearly plenty of talent in this team, but with sides around them already starting to pull away, Ten Hag cannot afford to drop any more points against Southampton, and he must make changes.
One of those changes should be to drop Marcus Rashford, as his underwhelming form from last season has seemingly carried over, and the manager has a solution on the bench.
Rashford’s recent form
So the first thing to say is that when he’s on song, Rashford is easily one of the most dangerous attackers in the Premier League, if not Europe, but therein lies the problem: he’s not on song and hasn’t been for some time.
For example, he followed up his incredible haul of 30 goals and 11 assists in 56 appearances in the 22/23 campaign with a disappointing return of eight goals and six assists in 43 appearances last season.
In other words, the Englishman went from averaging a goal involvement every 1.36 games to one every 3.07 games last year, and unfortunately, he’s carried on that underwhelming form into this season.
For example, in his three league games thus far, the 26-year-old has failed to score or assist a goal, and while he has created the odd chance for his teammates, he’s just looked ineffective in attack.
There is undoubtedly still a quality player in there, but it feels like he could do with some time out of the team.
Moreover, considering United are playing one of if not the weakest teams in the league tomorrow, it feels like the perfect opportunity to make a change and start one of the club’s young and exciting wingers in his place.
Why Diallo should start
Yes, the youngster who should come back into the side is Amad Diallo, but he should do so on the right, meaning Alejandro Garnacho shifts over to the left, where he has started the majority of games in his career.
Now, nobody is claiming that the young Ivorian is a better player than Rashford at this point, but unlike the Englishman, he is not burdened with a combination of expectations for what fans know he can do and pressure due to what he has done.
Moreover, while the former Atalanta gem is still young, 22 is old enough for him to be getting regular starts in the first team, and while he’s still somewhat raw, he has looked good when given the opportunity to play.
For example, against Brighton & Hove Albion last month, he scored and looked dangerous in attack, and while last season saw him spend a lot of time out with injury issues, the campaign prior saw him light up the Championship with Sunderland.
In just 43 appearances, the Abidjan-born “superstar”, as dubbed by football creator Liam Canning, scored 14 goals and provided four assists, meaning he averaged a goal involvement once every 2.38 games for the Black Cats.
Ultimately, while the step-up to Premier League football is significant, Diallo has shown he has the potential to thrive, and with Rashford still underwhelming, Ten Hag must take full advantage of a game against Southampton and start the Ivorian in place of the Englishman.
