After a tough month or so, Manchester United might have gotten their season back on track over the weekend.
Following back-to-back Premier League defeats prior to the international break, Erik ten Hag’s side picked up their second win of the season with a largely comfortable 3-0 win away to Southampton on Saturday.
It wasn’t a vintage performance from the Red Devils, but it was enough, and with a League Cup tie against League One side Barnsley to come tonight, they have the chance to turn a promising result into the beginning of a good run.
However, given the nature of the competition and the number of games on the horizon, Ten Hag should look to make a few changes to his starting lineup and drop one of his biggest stars, who took fewer touches than Andre Onana over the weekend.
Why Rashford should be dropped
Yes, the player who should be dropped to the bench for tonight’s game is Marcus Rashford.
Now, the first thing to say is that the Englishman was actually reasonably impressive against the Saints on Saturday, and while he touched the ball 31 times to Onana’s 40, he was still awarded a 7/10 by ESPN’s Adam Brown for his ‘well-placed finish’ in the first half.
Moreover, once he had scored his first goal of the season, the Manchester-born ace began to look more dangerous, so why shouldn’t he be involved from the start tonight?
Well, simply put, even though his form has been subpar for a while now, the “elite” attacker, as dubbed by data analyst Ben Mattinson, has proven himself to be one of the most talented players in United’s squad over the years, and with the huge number of games to come in the next month or so, he needs to be fit and firing.
Therefore, he should start tonight’s clash on the bench to get some much-needed rest. However, if things do start to go wrong, he can be called into action, although the player who should start over him has been in electric form himself this season and should be able to handle the attacking burden without issue.
Who should replace Rashford at Man Utd
In place of Rashford, Ten Hag should look to start Argentinian sensation Alejandro Garnacho.
Now, while the man he could replace may have turned his form around on Saturday, the 20-year-old “superstar”, as dubbed by BBC podcaster Gaz Drinkwater, has been in scintillating form all season and should be given the opportunity to continue it in the League Cup.
For example, in his five appearances so far, the Madrid-born dynamo has found the back of the net twice and provided one assist for good measure, meaning he’s currently averaging a goal involvement once every 1.66 games.
Garnacho’s form in 24/25 | ||
|---|---|---|
Competition | Premier League | Community Shield |
Appearances | 4 | 1 |
Goals | 1 | 1 |
Assists | 1 | 0 |
Goal Involvements per Match | 0.50 | 1.00 |
There is an argument that, like the Englishman, the 5 foot 11 dynamo should be rested for a supposedly easy game, but with so many wingers at his disposal, the manager has the luxury of handing out more minutes to a player who is undoubtedly set to become one of the club’s next big stars.
Ultimately, Rashford should be rested for the match tonight, and while there are some other options Ten Hag could pick, he should bring Garnacho back into the starting lineup as he could add a few more goals to his already impressive tally this season and help the club coast into the next round.
