Manchester United were thoroughly overpowered right from the first whistle as Newcastle United beat them 1-0 at St James’ Park on Saturday.
Manager Erik ten Hag’s side just did not look like they were at the races, losing every 50-50 ball and just not ready for a scrap when it was required.
Marcus Rashford was particularly poor on the night, a trend that has been happening far too often this campaign. This is the story of his career so far.
Rashy back to his poor self
He plays extraordinary for a season, then regresses the following term before rediscovering himself again before the same cycle repeats itself.
The Mancunian can point to the fact that he is not as adept on the right as he is on the left but his lack of effort cannot be excused. After all, he is playing for the biggest club in the world and is reportedly a fan himself.
Tino Livramento had all the time in the world on the right as either the academy graduate failed to track back or was too easily dribbled past.
His head dropped after each unsuccessful attempt at handling his opposite full-back, always a worrying sign when it comes to Rashford’s body language.
He won only 25% of his duels and lost possession nine times in 60 minutes. It was a surprise to see him emerge for the second half after his disastrous first-half showing.
Needs to be dropped
The Englishman touched the ball only 22 times and ended his night with a passing accuracy rate of a dismal 65%.
Antony in half the time almost had the same touches of the ball and even came close to scoring, seeing his effort chalked out for off-side after it struck Harry Maguire.
The England international had 0 successful crosses, 0 key passes, 0 shots, and only one long ball found its mark (stats via Sofascore).
Ten Hag needs to drop him for the upcoming game against Chelsea and play Antony on the right. The coaching staff has to help Rashford regain his mojo because currently, he is just letting the club, his teammates, and fans down.