ETH could now ditch Hojlund by unleashing Man Utd’s £250k-p/w “real talent” vs Gala – opinion
The Red Devils take on Galatasaray in the Champions League tonight
Manchester United’s season took a turn for the worse last weekend as they slipped to a 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace – a team who they had comfortably dispatched 3-0 just a few days before.
Erik ten Hag may be starting to feel the heat as the result means his team have won only three of their opening seven Premier League ties and unless a sudden improvement is made, the pressure will continue to ramp up.
There is a break from league duty as the Champions League takes centre stage this week, with United welcoming Galatasaray to Old Trafford this evening and nothing but three points will be good enough, especially if they hold any ambitions of progressing from their group.
The Dutchman could change up his starting XI for the tie, especially following a few poor displays from several players, including summer arrival Rasmus Hojlund.
How did Rasmus Hojund perform vs Crystal Palace?
The young Dane has struggled to really get going so far at the Red Devils, averaging a Sofascore rating of 6.45 across four matches in the Premier League, managing just 0.5 shots on target per game along with missing four big chances.
He did net against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, yet his display on the weekend was rather underwhelming to say the least.
The 20-year-old took three shots during the game yet failed to score while also winning only three of his seven ground duels along with taking just 25 touches of the ball, and it was clear he couldn’t quite get into the game.
With Galatasaray representing a different challenge, Ten Hag should unleash Anthony Martial from the first whistle and drop Hojlund to the bench to see if this makes any difference.
Will Martial start for Man United against Galatasaray?
While it’s safe to say Martial has failed to live up to the vast expectations upon arriving in Manchester back in 2015, he has proven to be a solid option from which Ten Hag could call on this term.
The £250k-per-week forward has started just twice in the league, averaging only 36 minutes per game across five appearances, but he has managed to make one key pass per game, succeed with 50% of his dribble attempts along with winning 71% of his ground duels per game, indicating that his physical presence is clearly a boost for Ten Hag.
The Frenchman even grabbed an assist in the tie against Bayern a few weeks ago, despite spending just nine minutes on the pitch while he made one key pass and created a big chance, suggesting he could thrive if given a spot against the Turkish side in Europe’s elite competition.
Paul Scholes hailed him last season, saying: “Every United fan knows he has real talent. But we just need to see it more often.
“The lad’s got real ability. He’s been quiet for 18 months, we’re not sure what’s happened to him, injuries, confidence, but the lad has got ability, we need to see more of it. He can score a lot of goals.”
Hojlund may be the future of this United side, but Ten Hag needs goals now and Martial could shine if given the opportunity tonight.
