MANCHESTER UNITED
NOT Onana; Manchester United star player who lost possession 26x was “at his worst” v Galatasaray
NOT Onana; Manchester United star player who lost possession 26x was “at his worst” v Galatasaray
It wasn’t just Andre Onana who stunk the place out at Old Trafford on Tuesday evening.
Manchester United and manager Erik ten Hag, watched his side suffer a late surrender as they slipped to yet another defeat at home to Galatasaray on Tuesday evening, leaving their hopes of securing Champions League progression in tatters.
The expectation had been that United would seek out a response following the weekend defeat to Crystal Palace, yet despite some bright moments in attack last night – with Rasmus Hojlund netting a clinical brace – it was the same old story defensively, as the backline simply wilted against the Turkish giants.
A dramatic contest was ultimately settled in the closing stages as former Inter Milan maverick Mauro Icardi clinched victory with a delicate dink over the onrushing Andre Onana, with that effort suming up what was yet another grim day for the Cameroun International.
READ MORE:Man United woes continue after shock home loss to Galatasaray following flurry of mistakes
There will likely be a huge sense of frustration for Ten Hag at the fact that things finally clicked into gear in the final third for his side, with Hojlund having been “enjoying himself” with that two-goal showing – as per The Athletic’s Laurie Whitwell – yet the Red Devils walked away empty handed due to mistakes in the backline.
For the visitors’ first, a simple, lofted ball over the top was simply not dealt with by Diogo Dalot as the Portuguese full-back was far too easily outmuscled by Wilfried Zaha, albeit with there perhaps having been a hesitancy from the man in the sticks to come and claim the ball himself
It had been a rather quiet night for Onana after that point, although the Cameroonian stopper sparked unnecessary nerves inside the Theatre of Dreams just moments after Hojlund had bagged his second of the evening, having flapped at an innocuous cross into the box.
The 27-year-old summer signing was not punished for that errant act, although that was swiftly followed by a limp pass out from the back which fell straight to the feet of Dries Mertens, with an unfortunate Casemiro forced to bring down the veteran Belgian and receive a second yellow card.
Remarkably, Onana was again reprieved as Icardi lashed his subsequent spot-kick wide, although the Argentine atoned by lifting the ball over the United ‘keeper soon after, with Ten Hag’s new man having ‘made it easy’ for the striker.
Onana wasn’t solely culpable for that dismal defeat, however, with club captain Bruno Fernandes failing to lead from the front.
How did Bruno Fernandes play against Galatasaray?
Much like for the man in the sticks, little seemingly went right for the Portugal international yesterday, with Luckhurst writing on Twitter that it had been the 29-year-old “at his worst”, as he was regularly “looking to blame others” despite his own shortcomings.
While the former Sporting CP ace was shifted out onto the right flank in order to accommodate the returning Hannibal Mejbri, that should not excuse what was largely an erratic showing from the outset, as the playmaker squandered possession on 26 occasions as a sign of his woes.
That metric is usually rather misleading as the £240k-per-week maestro regularly looks to create chances for his teammates and so thus can be understandably reckless on the ball, yet in this instance there was little of his usual flair – despite making two key passes.
The former Lisbon star failed to complete any of his nine attempted crosses and fired three shots wide on the night, having also been something of a liability defensively after winning just five of his ten total duels.
Such an uncharacteristically poor performance from the United talisman was encapsulated late on as he fired a volleyed effort straight into the arms of opposition ‘keeper, Fernando Muslera, having earlier failed to convert after a clever pullback from the influential Hojlund.
On a day which the hosts needed their captain to step up and take charge, he simply did not, with the Premier League outfit having now been plunged even further into crisis amid what has been a woeful start to the season.
As for their Champions League hopes, specifically, the club’s prior loss to Bayern Munich has ensured that Ten Hag’s men have it all to do in the final four remaining group games
MANCHESTER UNITED
“He needs to go now ” Man Utd sent clear Erik ten Hag sack message as Star players calls for a change
“He needs to go now ” Man Utd sent clear Erik ten Hag sack message as Star players calls for a change
Matthijs de Ligt has sent an indirect message to the Manchester United hierarchy amid uncertainty about Erik ten Hag’s status as manager. De Ligt reunited with Ten Hag at Old Trafford in the summer and appears to have made it clear that he would prefer to continue working with the Dutchman.
He is no stranger to experiencing a coaching change across his spells at Ajax, Juventus and Bayern Munich, and Ineos could enforce the latest as early as next week.
Ten Hag is under severe pressure, having overseen just three wins in United’s opening 10 matches of the season after a largely woeful second campaign.
A poor result in Sunday’s trip to Aston Villa could prove fatal, with patience among the fanbase on the brink of collapse.
United bosses are scheduled to meet in London less than 48 hours after the Premier League clash at Villa Park, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Joel Glazer among the planned attendees.
But De Ligt has publicly suggested that he would prefer the club to stick with Ten Hag so he can enjoy a longer-term relationship with one of his coaches.
“To be fair, it’s quite funny because in my career, I’ve never had a trainer for longer than one and a half seasons,” De Ligt told Sky Sports.
“So this is something that I hope I can have now, that I have a trainer or a manager who stays longer with me as a player so you can grow more together also.”
De Ligt has featured more under Ten Hag than any other manager in his career, being selected 78 times at Ajax and United.
The next highest totals belong to Thomas Tuchel and Massimiliano Allegri, but at just 42, it’s easy to see why the 25-year-old is seeking stability.
United would likely prefer to retain faith in Ten Hag after concluding a search for a worthy replacement in the summer by extending his contract by one year until 2026.
Ratcliffe also sanctioned around £200million in transfers to bolster the Dutchman’s squad, including the £43m deal for De Ligt.
However, a failure to win at Villa could leave United as many as nine points adrift of the top four and closer to rock-bottom than the Champions League spots.
A fourth defeat in seven league games could make Ten Hag’s position untenable and leave De Ligt temporarily coach-less again.
The centre-back’s status may also be in doubt after a dismal showing at Porto on Thursday, with last-gasp hero Harry Maguire knocking on the door.
Predicted Manchester United XI vs Aston Villa: Hojlund leads the attack
Rasmus Hojlund of Manchester United celebrates with his team mate Lisandro Martínez after scores his team second goal during the UEFA Europa League 2024/25 League Phase MD2 match between FC Porto and Manchester United at Estadio do Dragao on October 3, 2024 in Porto, Portugal.
There is a lot on the line this weekend when Manchester United visit Aston Villa in the Premier League.
The Reds need three points after a slow start to the season and Erik ten Hag is walking a tightrope to keep his job after Sir Jim Ratcliffe refused to back him when asked about the manager’s situation in a recent interview.
Aston Villa go into the game after beating Bayern Munich in the Champions League, so both teams come into the game with completely contrasting situations at play.
Ten Hag’s side have won just six in 20 Premier League matches. That record must change if he is to keep his job.
Manchester United predicted XI vs Aston Villa
Andre Onana has shown better form this season, despite United struggling to get results. The Cameroon international will start between the sticks.
Ten Hag will stick with his favourite back four, although they let him down on Thursday night by conceding three goals against Porto.
There are question marks over Kobbie Mainoo’s fitness after he withdrew from the 3-0 defeat to Tottenham with a knock that forced him out of the Porto tie. He trained on Friday and should feature at some point against Villa. However, we’re going to opt for more protection by starting Casemiro alongside Manuel Ugarte and Bruno Fernandes.
Fernandes is available after United successfully appealed his three-match domestic ban due to a wrongful dismissal against Tottenham.
The front three will consist of Alejandro Garnacho, Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford. Hojlund got back on the scoresheet against Porto and will be hungry to add to his tally.
Predicted Manchester United XI vs Aston Villa: Onana, Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martinez, Dalot; Ugare, Casemiro, Fernandes; Garnacho, Hojlund, Rashford.
MANCHESTER UNITED
“Drop them both” Manchester United fans blames two players for loss against Porto and demand they are dropped and tell Erik ten Hag who should replace both
“Drop them both”
Manchester United fans blames two players for loss against Porto and demand they are dropped and tell Erik ten Hag who should replace both
Manchester United fans are demanding two players are dropped after a horror show in the 3-3 Europa League draw against Porto.
United were 2-0 up and flying 20 minutes thanks to goals from Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund.
But Pepe reduced the deficit for the hosts before 20-year-old striker Samu Omorodion struck twice to complete a remarkable turnaround.
The former Atletico Madrid man bullied Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt at the Estadio do Dragao.
The former Ajax defenders appeared to establish themselves as Erik ten Hag’s first-choice pairing in the early parts of the season but both were all over the place on Thursday.
They were so poor in fact, that both were hooked for Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans in the 77th minute with United 3-2 down.
Maguire scored a stoppage-time equaliser to save Ten Hag’s bacon and fans want changes at the heart of the backline.
They cannot wait for £52 million summer signing Leny Yoro to return from injury and believe partnering the 18-year-old with Maguire is the way to go.
One said: “Chuckle brothers to start at Villa Park on Sunday. Drop De Ligt & Martinez.”
A second person agreed: “De Ligt cannot start on Sunday. Martinez will be lucky to start on Sunday.”
A third commented: “Get Leny Yoro back man.”
A fourth opined: “Leny Yoro can’t come back soon enough. First choice pairing should be him and Maguire until Martinez and De Ligt get their s**t together.
A fifth user wrote: “I need me a Leny Yoro and Harry Maguire partnership.”
A final person posted: “Sir Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans have to be our staring CB parting from here on out until Leny Yoro comes back.”
Winless in their last four games and currently 13th in the Premier League, United travel to Aston Villa on Sunday for a huge clash.
Pressure continues to pile on Ten Hag and it’s emerged that INEOS chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe will be in attendance at Villa Park.
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