Manchester United had an afternoon to forget after losing 3-0 to Liverpool in the Premier League.
The Red Devils have now suffered consecutive defeats after Sunday’s miserable performance against Liverpool.
There were very few positives to take from the defeat with Manchester United second-best in almost every department against their arch-rivals.
Casemiro in particular was awful, with the Brazilian unforgivably giving away far too many passes in the first half before he was hooked at the break for academy graduate Toby Collyer.
The Brazilian highlighted United’s huge weakness in midfield, while £42m summer signing Manuel Ugarte was made to watch from the stands after his late deal was not registered in time.
Casemiro was easily one of the worst players on the pitch against Liverpool but a shocking performance from Marcus Rashford was not too far behind.
Marcus Rashford poor again vs Liverpool
Rashford’s poor form from the end of last season has seeped over into the new campaign, and it is an issue Ten Hag needs to address.
Old Trafford made its feelings clear with a rapture of boos when the Dutchman took Alejandro Garnacho off for Amad despite Rashford’s disappointing performance on the left flank.
Casemiro was deservedly criticised for giving the ball away too often in his horror first-half performance, but stats show that Rashford was even worse than his teammate in that area.
Casemiro left the pitch at half-time with a shockingly poor pass completion rate of 73 percent – completing just 27 of his 37 attempted passes.
In comparison, Rashford was even more wasteful with the ball at his feet. He had a pass completion rate of just 50 percent at half-time. The worst of any player on the pitch.
He marginally improved in the second half and matched Casemiro’s 73 percent by the full-time whistle (16/22 completed passes).
Rashford also ended the match without taking a single shot, meaning he has still not taken a shot in the Premier League this season.
He lost possession 11 times and completed just two of his five dribble attempts.
It is not the first time that Rashford’s poor quality on the ball has harmed United in possession. He ended the match against Brighton with a 72 percent pass completion rate and completed only 76 percent of passes in the win over Fulham.
Erik ten Hag must drop Marcus Rashford
Sunday’s performance made it blindingly clear that Rashford does not deserve to start.
Poor performances should not warrant starts when United have competitive and hungry options on the bench.
Amad was extremely unfortunate to lose his starting spot in the first place after scoring against Brighton last week and impressing against Manchester City in the Community Shield.
Garnacho and Amad have leapfrogged Rashford in the pecking order, and they must start when United return to action against Southampton later this month.
Rashford is a creative outlet – and he did create two chances against Liverpool – but his inability to keep possession and sustain attacks is a huge issue for United as they attempt to transition into a possession-based side.
Ten Hag defended the forward after the game when asked about fans booing the decision to withdraw Garnacho instead of Rashford.
“First of all he created two big chances for Zirkzee and that is what you have to acknowledge,” the United boss told Alex Crook. “Second it was Garnacho’s and Zirkzee’s first start and he can play as a centre forward.”
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