With the Red Devils scheduled to play Sevilla in the Europa League today evening and then face Brighton and Hove Albion in the FA Cup semifinal on Sunday, Manchester United is presently preparing for what will be a crucial few days in the remainder of the season.
The Old Trafford team enters tonight’s match having lost late in the first leg of their matchup, blowing a two-goal lead after suffering significant injury setbacks to both Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez.
Tyrell Malacia and Harry Maguire both scored unfortunate own goals in that bizarre finale at the Theatre of Dreams, keeping the tie at 2-2 going into the meeting in Seville. There may be growing concerns that the six-time champions of the competition will once again find a way to win at home.
Erik ten Hag will need to make a choice regarding the forward line, with struggling asset Jadon Sancho seemingly needing to make way, if his team is to avoid further disappointment against the Andalusian outfit after losing to the La Liga side in both the Europa League and Champions League in recent times.
Sancho will he start the Sevilla match?
Even while it might seem harsh to keep criticizing the forward’s flaws, it is becoming clear why Ten Hag is allegedly becoming “increasingly impatient” with the £73 million player, according to a report in the Manchester Evening News.
The winger has started the last three Premier League games, as well as the two meetings with tonight’s opponents, but despite this increased playing time, he only has one assist to show for it. Scott McTominay scored the goal with the help of a deft, threaded pass during the win over Everton.
The truth is that the Englishman’s time at United has not yet provided enough of these magical moments, with the mercurial talent having once again underwhelmed against Nottingham Forest.
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Sam Luckhurst of the MEN writes that the Red Devils simply needed “so much more” from the wide player in the final third after Sancho missed a clear-cut opportunity early on.
The 23-year-old’s struggles also prompted a harsh evaluation from GOAL’s Richard Martin, who gave the former Borussia Dortmund player a 4/10 match rating and said:
‘Offered little nothing during the game. Was too hesitant to challenge players and too unsure of himself on the ball. How long will this continue until he is fired?
The £350k-per-week flop, who is considered to be the “quietest” of United’s forward line by 90-minute Jack Gallagher, was quite unsuccessful from his wide position, making the absence of top scorer Marcus Rashford even more noticeable.
Given that the latter guy has resumed training, it is possible that he may play some sort of role later on in the day. Other players like Anthony Elanga and Facundo Pellistri might also be vying for the starting position.
As a result, it would not be shocking if Sancho were to be left out of Ten Hag’s starting XI this evening.
