Manchester United vs Astana Player Ratings
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| Image from Manchester Evening News |
Sergio Romero - 7/10
Solid performance for the Argentine as he gained yet another clean sheet to add to his already impressive stats. Rarely involved but when needed, he was composed and calculated.
Diogo Dalot - 6.5/10
Caught out a few times in defence but he made up for it with lung-busting attacking runs and some decent balls into the box. You can assume some of the issues he had were just from rustiness and getting fitter after a long-term injury. He should play against Rochdale and improve his form then.
Axel Tuanzebe - 8/10
Composed, strong and brave defending from the youngster. Looks like the year at Villa has done him some good and he looks like he will have an important role in this season and many more to come. He even had the odd venture up-field with some good link-up play.
Phil Jones - 7.5/10
Relatively sturdy defending from Jones. Looks eager to prove himself to be an option over Rojo, Bailly and Tuanzebe. A few issues but nothing to be worried about at this point, he seems composed and comfortable as a Europa League and domestic cup starter.
Marcos Rojo - 7/10
Same for Rojo as for Phil Jones. He was relatively composed excluding the wild rabona for no reason but did provide some good width and a few decent crosses. He's still not good enough to start ahead of Young let alone Shaw, but again is looking like a decent Europa League starter.
Nemanja Matic - 6.5/10
Static as usual but did try to control the tempo with a successful pass rate of 93%. He did get completely out-muscled late on and looked very foolish but unfortunately he seems set to start against West Ham too.
Fred - 7.5/10
One of his better performances so far in his United career. Could have made things very interesting had his early shot gone in rather than hitting the crossbar and could have opened the scoring with a freekick. Looked positive in his play and raring to go. Would prefer him over Matic on Sunday but it is unrealistic for Ole to drop the Serbian.
Tahith Chong - 6/10
It wasn't a bad performance from Chong but it certainly wasn't his night. It's a learning curve and he is sure to learn from his errors and will get plenty more chances to prove his worth to the critics and the fans.
Angel Gomes - 7/10
Gomes had an electrifying first half and looked very lively when involved but in the second half he tried too hard to be the difference and it showed. He still lacks that wisdom that experience gives you so it is good that he has an excellent role model in Juan Mata to show him the ropes and again, over time he is sure to improve significantly.
Marcus Rashford - 6/10
He is the one person I can be truly critical of. He just didn't get into the game. With the three youngsters in Chong, Gomes and Greenwood, you would have hoped Marcus Rashford, who burst onto the scene in the Europa League, could have shown them how to make an impact but he just was not involved. It seems when there are more experienced players on the pitch he wants to get more involved but in this match he waited for others to get him into the game and it never arrived. He had a few opportunities to score but failed to make them work with most of them missing or hit straight at the keeper. I don't doubt he will get back to firing on all cylinders and it is a lot of pressure to lead the line at 21 years of age but sooner or later he will be back to his best.
Mason Greenwood - 8/10
He must be on top of the world. Scoring his first goal for Manchester United at Old Trafford is something special and a moment he must have been waiting for all his life. Lovely goal and great link-up play all game. If Dan James is injured, you would hope Greenwood starts against West Ham and Rochdale and that he starts to get a good run of form and who knows, he may cement his place in the starting XI.
SUBS
Juan Mata - 6.5/10
He may not have directly been involved in the goal but his general link-up play added a bit of quality and experience that was lacking previously. He should start at the weekend to break West Ham down.
Jesse Lingard - 6.5/10
Involved in the goal and unlucky not to score late on but he did add more energy and overall quality when coming on. For me, this should be his role in the squad until he gets a good run of form. He does have the ability to make an impact but when starting, I don't see that happening.
Ashley Young - 6.5/10
Good defending at times but rarely involved. He should start on Sunday should Shaw be out. Better him than Rojo...probably.
MAN OF THE MATCH: AXEL TUANZEBE
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