Alex Telles made his first Manchester United appearance of the season last night.
It got off to a poor start as he was too easily brushed aside in the lead up to West Ham’s winning goal.
It was the mark of a rusty player getting thrown into an unforgiving tie, and United can have few complaints after heavily rotating the squad, making 11 changes.
Telles was unhappy with the way his return went. Telles sent a message saying he was ‘sad and frustrated’, pledging to work harder than ever.
He received supportive responses from teammates Diogo Dalot and David de Gea.
Second choice
There is no debate where Alex Telles ranks in the pecking order at present. He is the club’s second choice left-back behind Luke Shaw.
Last night won’t have changed that, but it is important to just bear in mind that this was his first competitive start since May.
Telles will get chances as the season goes along and he will have to be sharper than he was last night.
The Brazilian did improve as the game went along and he completed 70 minutes before United made a tactical change.
It may be a surprise if Telles features before the international break, with Luke Shaw likely to start against Villa and then Villarreal next week. But if United need him, he will have to be ready.
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