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Manchester United have endured a dismal campaign in the 2021-22 season. They will finish the season trophy-less and also miss out on Champions League qualification. The Red Devils are sixth in the table, only three points ahead of West Ham United having played one more game. This means that even Europa League qualification is not guaranteed for Manchester United.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been the only bright spot, scoring 18 league goals. The next three highest scorers for the club have, combined, scored as many goals. Many high-profile and otherwise talented players have not been able to live up to their billing, with interim manager Ralf Rangnick failing to get the best out of his players.
With Erik ten Hag set to take over as manager of Manchester United this summer, it is imperative that he identifies players within the club who fit into his high-intensity attacking style of football. He needs to help these players regain their confidence and make them perform their best on the pitch.
On that note, this article will take a look at three players who could flourish under the Dutchman.
3. Fred
Fred has been one of the best performers for Manchester United this season. While the bar has been relatively low this poor season for the club, it must be noted that Fred looks like a much-improved player.
Under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, he played the Number 6 role alongside Scott McTominay. While he has good defensive capabilities and succeeds in winning the ball back, this is not his best position.
Ralf Rangnick has mostly used him in the same role but we have seen him involved in attacking positions more frequently. This is where he has been most effective. Given his tenacious nature and ability to win the ball back, he has proved to be more effective when he is higher up the pitch. This allows the team to begin an attacking transition in the opposition’s half which leads to goal-scoring opportunities.
It is crystal clear that Manchester United need to sign a defensive midfielder this summer who will occupy the Number 6 role and let Fred play in a slightly more advanced role.
Ten Hag prefers a 4-3-3 formation so Fred would fit in the Number 8 role, which is his best position. The Brazilian won't have to worry much about defensive duties. He will have the freedom to get higher up the pitch where he has the quality to win the ball back and produce attacking situations for his side.
2. Jadon Sancho
When Jadon Sancho arrived from Borussia Dortmund last summer, a price tag of £73 million brought with it high expectations. His start to life as a first-team member in English football with Manchester United was underwhelming. It seemed as if he was struggling to adjust to the extreme pace of the Premier League. However, he is only 22-years-old and a slow start to a new league could be excused, especially with the overall form of the side being so poor.
Under Rangnick, we have seen a slightly improved version of Sancho and it seems he has come to terms with the pace of the league. However, he is yet to have a major impact in any game this season.
In Ten Hag’s system, wingers are imperative to how the side plays and he should be looking forward to having Sancho in his side.
Eredivisie has seen Brazilian winger Antony perform well for Ajax this season and he looks to be a promising talent. Sancho has incredible talent and ability, so it will be interesting to see if Ten Hag can get the best out of his abilities in his system.
3. Bruno Fernandes
While Bruno Fernandes has tallied 10 goals and 13 assists this season for Manchester United, it is safe to say his performances have been below-par by the lofty standards he has set. One could argue that it would be difficult to maintain the numbers he produced in the previous two seasons as Manchester United's performances have fallen off a cliff.
The main critique and weakness in Fernandes’ game is his poor ball-retention. His erratic nature and desire to find the perfect ball means he loses possession easily.
Of course, when it comes off, he deservedly receives praise but recently this has not been effective and is extremely frustrating. The general opinion is that he needs refining to cement his status as a world-class player and Erik ten Hag is capable of providing just that.
Fernandes fits into Ten Hag’s philosophy of high intensity attacking football, but ball retention is key for this system to be effective, and this is something he will need to improve on. The Portuguese will look forward to training under Ten Hag and refining his game to become Manchester United's talisman once again.
