We are going to attempt to do the impossible here. Whittle 11 terrible starters down to the worst three.
In case you need reminding, United lost 2-0 at home to Burnley last night.
It was an awful performance, the worst of the campaign, and it looks like United are falling apart.
Here is a look at the three players who stood out above the rest for the wrong reasons.
Anthony Martial
Martial has got the opportunity he wanted. And he just is not cutting it.
What happened to the composed, instinctive finisher that arrived at Old Trafford in 2015?
He looks nervous and ponderous in front of goal, like he is lacking belief.
Following on from his wasted effort at Anfield on Sunday when he blazed over the bar from inside the box, this game showed his killer touch has deserted him.
He was put through on goal in the first half and took too many touches before he was tackled. A confident striker would have hit it first time, or after one touch. His first touch was poor, and it all went wrong from there.
Good strikers change games and can get over missed chances like that. Martial never looked like scoring afterwards.
Andreas Pereira
Andreas tried, he really did. But he just is not good enough for Manchester United right now.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer did not seem impressed either, substituting him at half-time to put him out his misery.
Only one of Pereira’s four efforts on goal hit the target. This season he has one goal and three assists in 26 appearances for United.
It is important that United sign new players to shake up the midfield. Otherwise we will have more performances like this from Pereira. And so far this season, we have seen enough.
Dan James
We put together an article last week on why James is being overused and is victim of United’s poor squad building.
But let’s call a spade, a spade, and acknowledge once again his performance was not good enough.
James lacks the quality with his link up play right now to really trouble defences, and his shooting boots have gone.
There was one impressive moment when he won a header which was saved, but this was another display in which he failed to trouble the opposing defence, as with every game so far in 2020.
He needs a long rest, but the problem is United just don’t have alternative options.
- Manchester United confirmed signings, transfers in, out, loan exits, releases for 2026/27
- Glazer family members consider Manchester United stake sale, claim Bloomberg
- Forget Fernando Torres, Nemanja Vidic now names three ‘more difficult’ opponents he faced at Man Utd
- Andy Cole reacts as Michael Carrick set to make his first signing for Man Utd
- Michael Carrick is showing what Man Utd ‘stands for’ with one commitment to role, says Timothy Fosu-Mensah
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
