Man Utd were 'hours' away from losing transfer target to Liverpool after Jurgen Klopp chat
Manchester United were excellent against Crystal Palace on Tuesday night. It’s easy to focus on the lacklustre opposition rather than praising Erik ten Hag’s side for the manner of their Carabao Cup third-round victory. But play like that against every bottom-half Premier League side, and United will almost certainly improve on last season.
Alejandro Garnacho opened the scoring before Casemiro headed in his fourth goal of the season shortly after. Anthony Martial added a third after half-time to book United’s fourth-round ticket.
For much of the game, especially before Ten Hag managed his players with a flurry of substitutions, it was the Dutchman’s vision realised.
A fluid attacking system supported by a defensive set-up comfortable with progressing the ball through the first two thirds with ease.
Adding the returning Mason Mount and the home-debuting Sofyan Amrabat added the technical quality Ten Hag has craved in midfield.
It was a performance made all the more eye-catching, given Ten Hag had made seven changes to the side that beat Burnley 1-0 on Saturday, the second-highest total since his arrival.
And it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to suggest throwing two more returning stars into the mix would help United make significant strides under his rule.
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Andre Onana, Diogo Dalot, Raphael Varane, Casemiro, Amrabat, Mount, and Rasmus Hojlund all featured against Palace. Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford watched from the bench.
Lisandro Martinez is expected to return to action soon after missing United’s last two fixtures with a knock.
And Luke Shaw will likely reclaim his left-back spot after the October international break. Barring any more injuries, Ten Hag would then have the strongest lineup at his disposal.
There are contentious battles here and there, like Aaron Wan-Bissaka over Dalot and Antony on the right flank over Amrabat or Mount, who can operate in that area like Bruno Fernandes.
But Ten Hag’s rebuild could shift up a gear when the Red Devils return from the international break with a trip to Sheffield United.
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Earlier this month, the United boss lamented the injury issues he has faced this term, claiming he has never had his best 11 players to pick from at Old Trafford.
“One thing is true: from the start of last season, I don’t think I ever started with, in my opinion, the best starting XI. There were always injuries,” Ten Hag complained.
So once Shaw and Martinez are back in contention, United fans should be able to see what a Ten Hag side with ball progressors in defence, technical geniuses in midfield and creative forwards in attack looks like.
Strongest Man Utd XI: Onana; Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Amrabat, Mount; Fernandes, Rashford, Hojlund.
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