Suddenly, Manchester United look like a team with options, even with Rasmus Hojlund’s injury.
In stark contrast to the middle of 2023/24 – when Erik ten Hag’s starting XI almost picked itself due to that almost unprecedented injury crisis and the lack of depth in forward positions – the Red Devils are in a very different place these days.
Ahead of next week’s Wembley re-match with Man City in the Community Shield, the Manchester United boss may have Alejandro Garnacho or pre-season stand-out Amad Diallo to pick from on the right hand side.
Antony, the £82 million signing, appears to be third-choice these days at best.
On the left, Ten Hag can pick between Garnacho, Marcus Rashford or a revitalised Jadon Sancho.
And, while a hamstring injury rules Rasmus Hojlund out of the Community Shield, Sancho’s USA displays suggest that he can do a pretty effective job as something of a false nine. And then there is Joshua Zirkzee, the £35 million summer recruit chomping at the bit and keen to get going.
Manchester United could start Sancho or Zirkzee vs City
Zirkzee arrived at Carrington a few days ago following a brief holiday.
And while Ten Hag would not be drawn on whether he or maybe even Sancho would get the nod to start against Pep Guardiola’s side, the Dutchman finds himself in something of a rarified position as he weighs up the pros and cons of various different frontlines.
“They are in two very different situations. Jadon is in pre-season, he is on tour. Joshua had played in Euros, then had his break. Now, (he) started training this week,” Ten Hag said, as quoted by Laurie Whitwell on X.
“We have to assess and we will pick a team capable to win the game against Man City.”
Sancho, offers not exactly flooding in despite a few ‘magic’ displays during Borussia Dortmund’s run to the Champions League final, appears to have been offered a fresh start at Old Trafford.
The England international has caught the eye over in the USA too. He scored the winning penalty in a shoot-out victory over Arsenal and then lead the line effectively in that 3-2 win over Real Betis, dropping deep and making room for the ‘explosive’ Amad and an electric Marcus Rashford to dart into.
In an interview with The Athletic, Ten Hag once again re-iterated that any differences between he and Sancho are very much in the past.
“We left this behind us and we said everything about this,” adds the former Ajax boss, who removed Sancho from first-team contention after a very public dispute back in September 2023. “We know from each other what the standards are and how we want to work.
“When I took over, you need good players to construct a good team and he’s definitely a very good player.”
Ten Hag backs Marcus Rashford to bounce back
Rashford endured a largely miserable 2023/24 campaign. His goals tally dropped from 30 in Ten Hag’s debut season to just eight.
But it is surely no coincidence that the Carrington graduate appeared to carry a far greater threat alongside a link-man like Sancho, his best displays as a Man United player coming alongside unselfish number nines like Anthony Martial and Wout Weghorst.
The prospect of Rashford linking up with the ‘very skilful’ Zirkzee is mouth-watering, to say the least.
“He should fight for it, but we are not robots. We are dealing with human beings. And everyone, you are not always on your best. But he has to prove this point,” Ten Hag says of Rashford, who slammed home a penalty against Betis.
“We will set the conditions, and he is very capable of doing this. The season before last, he scored 30 goals. So, when he is in the right vibe, then he has such a high potential.”
- READ MORE: Who is Marcus Rashford? Inside the life of Man Utd’s book-writing, government-tackling ace
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