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Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick made a host of changes when United hosted Young Boys in their final UEFA Champions League Group F fixture. Having secured top spot following their win over Villarreal on matchday five, Rangnick could afford to give some of his youngsters a shot.
The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, David de Gea, Harry Maguire and a few other regulars were awarded a much-deserved break at Old Trafford. Donny van de Beek, Dean Henderson, Juan Mata and Luke Shaw got the opportunity to impress their new boss.
With Young Boys playing for a Europa League spot, they were the more eager side over the course of the match. But it was Mason Greenwood who put Manchester United ahead after just nine minutes. The youngsters read Luke Shaw’s cross well and volleyed it first time, finding the bottom-left corner with ease.
Manchester United were expected to build on the goal as the game progressed, but failed to make their chances count. Three minutes before half-time, Fabian Rieder scored a stunner to restore parity for the Swiss outfit.
Winning possession on the edge of the United box, Rieder calmly curled the ball into the top-right corner of Henderson’s goal. The second half was not as eventful as the first, with the hosts failing to make home advantage count, with the game ending 1-1.
Although inconsequential, Manchester United were expected to end their group stage proceedings on a high.
Here are the five Manchester United players who kept the fans from enjoying a win at Old Trafford on Wednesday:
#5 Jesse Lingard
Manchester United used a 4-1-4-1 formation against Young Boys, which saw Jesse Lingard take an advanced role, sitting right under Greenwood.
Surprisingly, the usually trigger-happy Englishman refrained from trying his luck in the UEFA Champions League fixture and faded away as the match progressed.
His work rate came in handy in Rangnick’s pressing machine, but we expected him to be more lethal going forward.
In the 31st minute, Lingard received a cut-back from Amad Diallo inside the box, but couldn’t position himself to take the shot.
#4 Anthony Elanga
Manchester United teenager Anthony Elanga started on the left wing against Young Boys on Wednesday night.
His pace and pressing ability helped the Red Devils progress through the thirds but a lackluster finish let him down.
After a decent first half, Elanga started the second 45 rather strongly. He nearly played Greenwood through on goal before finding himself in a one-on-one situation against the Young Boys keeper Guillaume Faivre.
Unfortunately, his low drive was not convincing enough and was dealt with by Faivre.
#3 Donny van de Beek
Ralf Rangnick is determined to give all his Manchester United players a chance to impress. Donny van de Beek was one of the many fringe players who got the opportunity to show his mettle against Young Boys on Wednesday night.
His performance was not abysmal by any means but was disappointing nonetheless, especially due to the first-half error that led to the Swiss team's equalizer.
Van de Beek started the game strongly, even though he was active as a sole holding midfielder. The Dutchman was practically everywhere and cut out passing lanes expertly.
Unfortunately, his good work came undone in the 42nd minute when he underhit a pass to Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Rieder intercepted it and curled the ball home from the edge of the box.
#2 Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Diogo Dalot’s exceptional run of form has forced Aaron Wan-Bissaka to warm the Manchester United bench in recent matches. The Englishman had the opportunity to win Rangnick’s confidence with his performance against Young Boys on Wednesday night.
Unfortunately, he could not quite bring out the explosiveness everyone associates with him.
Wan-Bissaka tried to push forward but his distribution was a big letdown. He could not communicate effectively with his teammates, squandering possession every now and then.
The right-back was also caught on his heels for Young Boys’ superb equalizer just before the half-time whistle. The goal probably could have been avoided, had the full-back been on his toes and reacted a bit quicker.
Over the course of the 90 minutes, Wan-Bissaka did not attempt a shot, failed to make even a single key pass, and lost possession 19 times. He ended his night by clattering into advertising hoardings and had to be stretchered out.
#1 Nemanja Matic
With Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire left out of the starting XI, Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic got the rare opportunity to captain his side.
Rangnick’s experimental XI saw him play as a centre-back alongside the ever-dependable Eric Bailly. Playing out of his natural position, Matic never looked very confident and struggled to impose his authority.
In the first half, he was still passing around nicely and could play the ball out with relative ease. However, his distribution dipped as the game progressed. The Serbian's sloppiness led to two shots towards goal by the visitors, but they could not make it count.
Against Young Boys, Matic only performed one clearance, intercepted the ball once and was dribbled past with ease on one occasion. He gave away possession 10 times in the match and did not contribute much to Manchester United’s build-up.
