Hojlund to Rashford – Manchester United’s best and worst performers so far this season

Man United have had a difficult start to the season and here are the winners and losers of the season so far.

To say things haven’t gone as planned for Manchester United so far this season would be an understatement.

This was supposed to be a year to move forward. Get even better. Solid foundations have been laid in Erik ten Hag’s first campaign and with exciting new building blocks laid over the summer, this splendid structure will begin to take its final form.Instead, it proved as sturdy as a sand castle in the face of tidal waves.

While fans remained excited throughout the season to see their team back in action, the lengthy buyout process gradually chipped away at optimism until despair set in when things becomes clear that there is no end. With the season off to a terrible start and not even football able to offer a glimmer of hope, it’s no surprise that United feel like they’re back to where they were before Ten Hag took command.

It’s hard to say this team is led by the same person as last season, such is the serious decline and complete lack of structure and planning. The obvious injuries didn’t help.United have been without all their first-choice defenders for much of the season and have consistently had at least 12 players absent.

Other off-field issues also caused unrest within the squad and United entered the second international break of the campaign in 10th place with the only negative goal difference in the top half of the table. Almost no one is on record in the first part of the season, but here are the biggest winners and losers so far:

There have been marks over the years in the quality that he performed at Borrusia Dortmund, but was never quite consistent and things looked bleak. when Ten Hag could not listen to him even though several other players improved under his leadership. However, a promising pre-season in which he played well in his new central defender role seems to be a fresh start.

This turned out to be a false dawn.Sancho barely played in the opening matches, then fell out spectacularly with the coach. Ten Hag left him at home for the trip to Arsenal and explained that it was because he hadn’t trained well enough. Sancho disagrees and publicly denied this claim in a statement on social media.

Peace talks have failed and Sancho is now banned from all first-team action until he apologises. Since that is unlikely, it seems unlikely that he will play for the club again.

Marcus Rashford – It’s even more confusing when a player’s performance falls into the abyss for no apparent reason. Marcus Rashford is having the best season of his career with a record of scoring 30 goals, adding 11 assists and completing a comeback under Ten Hag. He should be flying high, ready to do it all again.

Instead, his confidence seemed to have evaporated along with his killer instinct in the box. Now, he is making his supporters groan and scream more in pain because of his unreasonable decisions in dangerous areas.

Rashford remains a threat and has brief moments of brilliance but they are increasingly rare. Calls for him to be removed from the starting lineup are increasing with each match.

Casemiro – The United midfielder silenced those who doubted his signing a year ago by helping to transform the team’s fortunes, but those voices of concern are starting to proven correct. Last year, many people questioned whether it was wise to spend £60m on a player who had turned 30, especially when Real Madrid were willing to let him go – something they usually only do when they know a player’s decline is imminent.

It took a year but we seem to be seeing this sudden and abrupt deterioration.Casemiro was hooked at half-time in the win over Brentford after his poor season so far. He has lost this very important rhythm and is therefore poorly presented.

Casemiro remains United’s top scorer of the measly four players, so he is clearly still available, but his performances so far this season make it clear that he can no longer become a dedicated defensive midfielder without serious reinforcement.

Andre Onana – Rule number 3 usually applies as we could spend a lot of time naming United’s losers this season, but Andre Onana has to be on the list. There will always be mistakes and misplaced passes when a goalkeeper is asked to play with the ball at his feet – look at Ederson and Alisson – especially when his team-mates are not used to goalkeeping Theirs does it.

But Onana has so far disappointed with his slow distribution, especially since stupid and costly mistakes have also crept into his play when it comes to blocking basics break. A major improvement is needed.

Winner

Rasmus Hojlund – This is the slimmest pick when it comes to the winner column, but the top of the list has to be Rasmus Hojlund. The young Dane was under pressure to play more than anyone else at his price, having been signed by Harry Kane and being the long-awaited striker, but he delivered.

The goals don’t come as often as he would like but Hojlund is hampered by a disastrous supporting cast that often leaves him isolated and living on scraps. However, he always worked hard and when something happened he showed great quality, strength and speed to score goals out of nowhere. His second strike against Galatasaray was superb and he has been the only spark so far.

Scott McTominay – Come on, four minutes to go. Had four touchdowns. Score two goals to win the game. There cannot be more impact in football history than the introduction of Scott McTominay into the Brentford net. Not just in the game but also for his career at the club.

McTominay could well have left United this summer and has yet to see much action so far. But his contribution to the win could see his minutes increase significantly after the break and could eventually earn him a more senior role in the team. He clearly has his eye on goal after scoring six goals for Scotland this year and that is something United should use.

Reserve defenders – Although their form has been up and down, the fact that some of United’s second-row defenders are playing as much as they are is a big win for them. This unfortunately comes at the expense of their teammates but they will still be happy to see more action than expected.

Jonny Evans is of course the leader of the group. He returned to United in the summer as a last resort and never expected to start again at the club. However, he did it twice and ensured his presence in both matches. Even had a fine assist for the winning goal against Burnley.

Harry Maguire’s time at the club appeared to be over, but he decided to stay and performed well on his return to the team while Victor Lindelof and Diogo Dalot both regained their places at the club. I was on my trip to XI.