After an inconsistent start to the Premier League and early departures from both the League Cup and the Champions League, Manchester United is presently in a bit of a crisis. This is in contrast to the team’s high points from the previous season, when they advanced to two cup finals and finished third in the league.
Almost halfway through the 2023–24 season, the Red Devils are solidly out of the top four after a season marked by consistency. There are undoubtedly concerns about Erik ten Hag’s long-term future in the dugout.
The Dutchman bears much of the blame for his team’s shortcomings this season, but his players are also to blame since far too many first-team players have performed terribly for lengthy periods of time.
Football FanCast has created its mid-season player rankings (out of 10) for the Old Trafford team in light of this. Players who have made more than five starts are the only ones listed.
Goalkeepers
André Onana
Man, Onana, Casamiro, United Ten, Hag, and Brentford
3 – Although Andre Onana’s tenure in England is still early, the David De Gea successor has already caused a lot of problems with his early United career, which is rife with obvious errors. The former Inter Milan player, in particular, made several high-profile mistakes and let up 15 goals in just six group matches. bleak.
N/A Altay Bayindir Despite Onana’s problems, the Turkey international hasn’t yet been given an opportunity to shine, but the Cameroonian’s potential participation at AFCON next month may provide him the chance to establish a regular position for himself in the goal.
Complete-backs
Diogo Dalot Dalot-Man-Utd-Bayern-Ten-Hag-Garnacho
6 – Despite having only recently signed a new long-term contract, Diogo Dalot is still a dark horse to start at right back. He dropped the ball 23 times during one especially difficult game at St. James’ Park. Nevertheless, displays like as his late game stunner against Sheffield United have demonstrated that he has brilliance in him someplace.
Aaron Wan Bissaka #6: The Englishman has been reliable but unimpressive as always, with his playing time being restricted this season because to a hamstring injury.
Luke Shaw
Jadon Sancho, Manchester United, and Luke Shaw
6 – Luke Shaw, like the man above, has spent much of the last several months on the sidelines. However, in recent weeks, he has made a welcome comeback to the team, and Ten Hag has praised how he “strengthens” the group.
Sergio Reguilon #5 – Signed as an emergency loan player on deadline day to replace injured players Tyrell Malacia and Shaw, the Tottenham Hotspur player has looked impressive in a United shirt so far, but GOAL pointed out that his “poor” decision-making with the ball frequently offsets his high energy style.
center-backs
Harry Maguire
Onana-Hojlund-Maguire-League 7 Champions Harry Maguire, 30, was tipped for an exit and lost his leadership during the summer. His remarkable comeback has been one of the few bright spots of this season; he just won the Premier League’s Player of the Month title for November.
Raphael Varane 6-The Frenchman was “immense” at Anfield lately, as reported by writer Sam Pilger. Varane is a true asset when he performs at his peak and was oddly benched by Ten Hag for a while. Nevertheless, the World Cup winner’s frequent stays on the treatment table still irritate.
The fifth Lisandro Martinez has only made six appearances prior to suffering a foot ailment that has prevented him from playing since September. The Argentine, who analyst Adrian Mariappa called a “warrior” the previous season, had appeared unsteady in the first several weeks of the campaign as United lost three of their first five league games.
Victor Lindelof 6 – The seasoned Swede is still a capable backup who has occasionally played left defence earlier in the season.
Evans Jonny
Jonny Evans of Manchester United thanks the supporters following game 7 – Although the rating might seem high, Jonny Evans, the summer acquisition, has more than lived up to expectations since joining the team again on a free transfer during the summer. The former United player David May said that the Northern Ireland international was “outstanding” that day and particularly impressive in holding Liverpool at bay last week.
Midfielders Casemiro 5 – Like many others this year, the Brazilian has missed a significant portion of the season with an injury. Though Ten Hag will be hoping for a significant improvement over his early season form—the 31-year-old was, in the words of Gary Neville, “torn to shreds” during the opening weekend against Wolverhampton Wanderers—a comeback seems imminent.
Premier League 5 – Christian Eriksen Eriksen-man – United Hojlund Ten Hag Christian Eriksen, who is also only recovering from an injury, has started just six league games this season, which has reduced his effect.
Mason Mount 5: A return of zero goals and only one assist is concerning for a £55 million summer acquisition, but given his personal injury concerns, it seems premature to pass too much judgement.
Bruno Fernandes 6-The United captain isn’t exactly at the top of his game, but with five goals and five assists, that’s still very good going. The Portuguese wizard especially scored vital victories over Burnley and Fulham.
Manchester United’s Scott McTominay scott-mctominay-united-7 Although there are still questions about the Scotland international’s skill with the ball, it is difficult to dispute his effect in the closing stages of the season after he has six goals in all competitions so far, including that thrilling victory over Brentford at home.
Sofyan Amrabat 5: “Off the pace” was Peter Schmeichel’s description of Amrabat’s performance in the Manchester Derby, and that has been the style of play throughout his early United career. Based on the available information, it is unlikely that the loanee will be taken on permanently.
Kobbie Mainoo Mainoo-Liverpool-United-Manchester-7 – It’s still too early to give Kobbie Mainoo a grade higher than a seven, but the early indicators are promising. Former teammate Anthony Elanga has praised his “unreal” potential, and Mainoo appears to be the Red Devils’ next poster child.
Forwards Anthony 4: Although Antony has shown some life recently, the fact that he has not scored a goal or provided an assist in any tournament this season tells it all. There’s not much longer to make that £86 million price acceptable.
Alejandro Garnacho 7: The youth deserves praise for his magical moment at Goodison Park alone, and he has been keeping Marcus Rashford off the pitch lately.
Marcus Rashford
Rashford-Version 4 – Speaking about Rashford, the England international’s play has drastically declined after scoring thirty goals on all fronts the previous season; this decline is perhaps one of the most annoying and disheartening aspects of the current campaign. Maybe the start of a new year would give Ten Hag’s one-time talisman the much-needed boost it needs.
Anthony Martial 4-After more than eight years at Old Trafford, his contract is about to expire. Whenever he is called upon, Martial continues to disappoint; most notably, he put on a terrible performance away at Newcastle, where he was constantly reprimanded by his own manager. There must be an escape shortly.
Hojlund Rasmus
League 5: Rasmus-Hojlund-Man, United Champions Rasmus Hojlund, who is still just 20 years old, needs more time to mature before being evaluated fairly, even though his goal-scoring struggles in the league are starting to worry many. Nevertheless, the Dane’s five goals on the continent have given United a preview of what to anticipate in the future.
Facundo Pellistri 5 – After more than three years of signing, the little Uruguayan is still a minor player, having made only one league start this year.
Jadon Sancho – N/A Given that Jadon Sancho has been out of the picture since his September public altercation with Ten Hag, his departure in January seems more and more plausible. Few have yearned for him to return to the senior squad because of his lacklustre performance before then, having only managed 12 goals in 82 appearances since joining in 2021.
Erik ten Hag is the manager of Manchester United.
LINKED
A reporter discusses his understanding of Erik ten Hag’s future at Manchester United.
Is Sir Jim Ratcliffe considering taking over for the Dutchman?
4-Still has bank credit from the previous season, but the stock is dropping quickly. has admirably been steadfast in the Sancho story, but has made some difficult decisions in the past, such as using Varane recently. In order to save his own reputation as well as the team’s dismal performance, the next few months might be crucial for the former Ajax manager.
