Ten Hag must drop Amad and unleash “clinical” Man Utd star

Erik ten Hag will be hoping Manchester United can get back to winning ways in the Europa League on Wednesday night. After two wins on the bounce, against Southampton in the Premier League and Barnsley in the Carabao Cup, the Red Devils dropped points in their last outing against Crystal Palace.

It was a disappointing 0-0 draw against the Eagles, with United creating some good chances. As per Sofascore, the Red Devils had 15 shots in total and created five big chances. Frustratingly, they did not manage to find the back of the net with any of those.

That is surprising given that Ten Hag’s side scored seven goals on their previous outing, in the cup against Barnsley. That day, the 2022/23 Carabao Cup winners had four different scorers. Five of their seven goals came from wingers, specifically Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Antony.

It is certainly a position where they have great depth this season, and one of the most impressive players out wide so far has been Amad. However, he did struggle against Palace.

Amad’s stats vs. Palace

It has been a wonderful start to the campaign for Amad. After a breakout second half of the 2023/24 campaign, the young Ivorian has performed superbly and made that right-wing spot his own.

The stats suggest that it has been a great start to the campaign for the youngster, who has already scored one goal and assisted another in seven appearances in all competitions this term.

He leads the way for the Red Devils in several key attacking metrics. As per FBref, the 22-year-old has played the most key passes with 12, double the amount of any player. He has also completed the most progressive carries, with 26, 12 more than any other teammate.

With that in mind, it was surprising that the winger struggled against the Eagles last Saturday evening at Selhurst Park. Normally tidy in possession, the youngster lost the ball 18 times, although he did manage to create two chances. Surprisingly, the former Sunderland loanee did not complete any of his four dribbles.

He received a 6/10 rating from journalist Samuel Luckhurst of The Manchester Evening News, who explained that Amad ‘struggled to make headway’ in the game, particularly in the second half.

It was certainly a disappointing showing from the young winger, and it could mean Ten Hag decides to rotate him out of the side ahead of their European clash against FC Twente.

The player who could replace Amad

Should the Dutch manager decide to make such a decision this week, it leaves him with a big call regarding the Ivorian’s replacement. There is a shout to play Antony, who scored in his last start, but Ten Hag might turn to Rashford, who was rested against Palace and has shown his best form this season.

The United academy graduate had a poor campaign in 2023/24. Coming off the back of a 30-goal season in 2022/23, he played 43 games in all competitions but managed just eight goals and six assists. Seven of those strikes came in the Premier League.

However, England international Rashford has turned things around this term and has looked back to his best in recent weeks. He has played seven games so far this term, scoring three goals and grabbing an assist. That includes a wonderful first goal against Barnsley last Tuesday.

The 26-year-old, who was described as “clinical” by Statman Dave, has looked far more like his old self already this term. The addition of Joshua Zirkzee has certainly helped. Rashford is able to drive into space vacated by the ‘9.5’, a term coined by the Dutchman himself. It creates a similar partnership to the one he had with Anthony Martial, whom he thrived with.

With greater depth out wide for United now with the emergence of Amad in the last seven or eight months, it has meant Rashford needed to up his game and find his old form.

It is fair to say the winger has done just that and will be hoping to continue his superb form if he gets a chance against Twente.