Manchester United claimed a third straight Europa League victory last night, beating Viktoria Plzen 2-1 in yet another hard-fought game of little quality.
Ruben Amorim’s side were rescued by substitute Rasmus Hojlund who came off the bench and scored a double, securing the three points for the Red Devils.
The result undoubtedly massively boosts their chances of securing automatic qualification come the end of the league phase, albeit despite the unconvincing display in the Czech Republic.
It’s safe to say that the 39-year-old has his work cut out after his first few weeks in the job, undoubtedly working out his best starting XI in the process.
Last night’s display certainly highlighted numerous players who may no longer have a future at Old Trafford should they continue in the same manner going forward.
Marcus Rashford’s stats for United against Plzen
Attacker Marcus Rashford has scored three goals since the appointment of Amorim but has still failed to recapture his best form from a couple of seasons ago.
The appointment of the former Portugal international has seen him feature in numerous attacking roles, including behind the striker or as the out-and-out centre forward.
Last night, he operated in the former, but like his recent couple of outings, the 27-year-old failed to take advantage of the trust shown in him by Amorim once again.
He featured for just 56 minutes before being replaced, highlighting his lack of impact and failing to offer the attacking threat the fanbase has often desired in recent months.
The Englishman only had 40 touches, achieving an 80% pass completion rate, but failing to register a single effort on goal – with goalscoring Hojlund coming on in his place.
Rashford was also caught offside once and collected a booking for his troubles, resulting in his early withdrawal from the encounter.
However, he wasn’t the only Red Devils player to produce an evening to forget, with one of his teammates also failing to impress after being recalled to the starting lineup.
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The Man United player who was as bad as Rashford
Striker Joshua Zirkzee arrived with big expectations after his £36.5m move from Bologna in the summer, but up to now, he’s failed to deliver the goods in the final third.
The Dutchman has only notched three goals, failing to add to his tally in the victory in Plzen and handing supporters more of a reason to be discontent with their summer dealings.
He came into the starting lineup for Hojlund, but like Rashford, was taken off early in the second half as United looked to secure the win having being a goal down.
Games played
61
Touches
50
Pass accuracy
22/33 (67%)
Duels won
5/13 (38%)
Possession lost
19x
Shots taken
1
Fouls committed
1
Leaving his manager in “dismay” as quoted by the Mirror’s David McDonnell, Zirkzee featured for just 61 minutes but looked extremely wasteful in possession, completing 22 out of the 33 passes he attempted, a completion rate of just 67%.
He also only won five of the 13 duels he contested, losing the ball 19 times, the most of any Red Devils player throughout the entire contest – undoubtedly leading to his substitution.
As a result of his dismal showing in Europe, Zirkzee was handed a measly 3/10 match rating by the Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst, the joint lowest of any United player.
Given his performance, the Dutchman should be no way near the lineup for Sunday’s trip to face local rivals Manchester City at the Etihad.
Time is certainly running out for the 23-year-old to prove his worth at Old Trafford after his big-money move, potentially facing the chop completely should he not turn around his current dreadful form.
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