Welcome to the Man Utd factor in the World Cup, where we will rate each player involved at Man Utd, past or present, at the end of every batch of fixtures each day.
After two games to kick off the World Cup on a frantic opening day, Mexico and South Korea have opened their accounts at the expense of South Africa and Czechia, respectively.
As for the Man Utd factor, fans would have noted one name was extremely familiar to them, as he’s one of Erik ten Hag’s regrets.
Here’s how the Man Utd factor rated at the end of the first batch of World Cup fixtures.
Which FORMER Man Utd player are you most intrigued to watch at the World Cup…?
There are more ex-United players at the tournament than current ones! 🌎
Matej Kovar – 7/10 (Loss vs South Korea)
Former Man Utd goalkeeper Matej Kovar was the only player with a Man Utd connection in action on day one of the World Cup.
Kovar is one of Ten Hag’s biggest regrets, as he didn’t give him a chance after a successful loan in his home country.
He is now Czechia’s first-choice goalkeeper, playing in his first World Cup, and he didn’t disappoint despite ending up on the losing side.
Kovar made four saves and was the reason why his side “only” conceded two goals, because South Korea looked rampant at times.
He can be very proud of his performance, even though Czechia’s path to the next round looks slightly complicated now.
They will have to beat South Africa and give a good game to Mexico to qualify as one of the best third-placed teams, while Korea can simply qualify by beating South Africa.
Their next game is against South Africa, and Kovar will hope he is needed less than he was in this game.
Man Utd factor to watch out for next
The next batch has four games, and there are multiple Man Utd stars in action, past or present.
Ederson, Casemiro, and Matheus Cunha will be in action against Noussair Mazraoui’s Morocco in the marquee game of the batch.
There’s no Man Utd involvement in the other fixtures for the day – Canada vs Bosnia, USA vs Paraguay, and Qatar vs Switzerland.
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