Manchester United turned out a performance on Friday night that must have sent their fans down memory lane, reminiscent of the verve and flair with which their team has so often played with down the years.
A lot of work still remains to be done of course, but United looked fairly impressive against a Southampton team that weren’t really all that bad. The Red Devils won 2-0, courtesy of a brace by star signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Here’s how the players performed at Old Trafford:
Manchester United
David de Gea – 6/10
The Spanish shot-stopper didn’t really have much to do. He seemed alert when called upon and his distribution was quick.
Antonio Valencia – 6.5/10
He was solid down the right flank for the most part, though should have been more aware on defense a few times. Valencia made some great runs in the opposition area, and his ability to go past players with such ease is always an asset.
Daley Blind – 6/10
Blind was there when called upon. He was tidy in his distribution and mopped up a few Southampton attacks with considerable ease. His versatility means he’s a thoroughly useful player to have, and he settled in the centre back role comfortably.
Eric Bailly – 6.5/10
It’s clear to see that Bailly he has enormous potential. His strength and pace were on display today as well. although he does need to iron out a few lapses in concentration in his game. He can be naive sometimes and if he can improve that part of his game soon, he could be a fixture in the United backline for years to come.
Luke Shaw – 7/10
A pretty good game for the left-back. He was popping up everywhere and was often an outlet on the left flank. His run to play in Rooney for a goalscoring chance was particularly impressive and he would draw the foul for United’s penalty as well.
Marouane Fellaini – 6.5/10
Managers come and go, but Fellaini still manages to find minutes in the team. Fellaini was a busy body in the centre of the park, getting his foot in and winning the ball back when he could and quietly distributing it about.
Paul Pogba – 7.5/10
This was some debut for the French midfield star. Almost all his qualities were on display in what was a great performance. His first touch in the match was awful, but from then on he hardly put a foot wrong. Elegant and efficient on the ball, Pogba also made his forays forward when given the chance and thrilled the crowd.
Anthony Martial – 5.5/10
This wasn’t the best game for Martial. His talent was obvious, and he made several interesting runs but the end product was sorely lacking. He should have done better with the clear cut chances he had, and made more use of the brilliant players he was linking up with.
Wayne Rooney – 6.5/10
A difficult performance to rate, in truth. He delivered the pinpoint cross that led to the first goal and had a pretty decent performance all round but his future in United’s best 11 is still questionable. Today he justified his inclusion, though.
Juan Mata – 6/10
Mata is another player with a huge question mark on his future presence in the lineup, but he was fairly good today. The deft touch to play in Zlatan off a Pogba chip was one of the highlights of the match, but he also gave the ball away carelessly a few times that led to stinkers from Mourinho.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 8/10
The Swede has scored goals wherever he’s gone, and England is turning out to be no exception. This was not one of his best performances by any means, but he was there when it mattered, powering a powerful header past Fraser Forster and burying United’s penalty with ease.
Substitutes
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 6.5/10
He looked immensely sharp and keen to make an impression, and immediately went buzzing around the pitch. He sprayed several passes with his trademark precision and will be hoping to get more time on the pitch soon.
Ander Herrera – N/A
Brought on to cover things up in the middle of the park, but not enough time to make an impression.
Chris Smalling – N/A
The English defender did not have enough time on the field to make a mark.
Southampton
Fraser Forster – 6/10
In truth, the Southampton goalkeeper didn’t have a lot to do, apart from picking the ball out of the net two twice.
Cedric Soares – 7/10
Southampton’s brightest player. The Portuguese put in several gorgeous crosses into the box and was often their best attacking outlet. He did leave spaces behind but still had a great performance overall.
Virgil van Dijk – 7/10
Another player on the losing side who emerges with a lot of credit. The former Celtic defender made several interceptions and tackles, and if it weren’t for him United would have racked up a much larger scoreline.
Jose Fonte – 6/10
Not a nightmare game by any stretch of the imagination but Fonte was not as good as his defensive partner. The Portuguese star had a decent game but there was not much he could do to quell United’s seamless football.
Matt Targett – 6.5/10
Targett put in some nice cross into the box that should have been taken better advantage of. Remember Graziano Pelle? Southampton might miss his aerial abilities this year. In any case, Targett put in a decent shift.
Steven Davis – 5.5/10
Davis hustled around the pitch in his trademark style, but would admit he didn’t have the influence in midfield he usually brings. He also wore off as the game went on and was eventually substituted as his team tried to chase the game.
Oriol Romeu – N/A
The former Barca player didn’t last long because of injury.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – 6/10
He certainly can’t be faulted for his work rate or endeavour today and constantly hustled around the pitch. He won possession a few times, but also committed a lot of unnecessary fouls.
Dusan Tadic – 6.5/10
Tadic would have felt that his teammates weren’t often on the same wavelength as him as a lot of good link-up play by him went astray. More is expected from the Serbian, especially from his shooting which was wayward.
Nathan Redmond – 5.5/10
Another player who clearly has the attributes to frighten opposition defences but wasn’t at his sharpest today. Redmond should target double figures for goals this season though and see where it takes him. Today, he was underwhelming.
Shane Long – 5/10
He hit the side-netting with a snapshot in the first half, in what could have been seen as warming up for something better but things only went downhill from there. He missed his team’s best chance later, and never really got into the game.
Substitutes
Jordy Clasie – 5/10
Clasie was actually fairly tidy after he replaced Romeu early in the game, but his careless challenge on Luke Shaw ruined it all really.
Charlie Austin – N/A
Although the striker was brought on with a fair chunk of the game remaining, he couldn’t really do much against the United defence.
Jay Rodriguez – N/A
Not enough time to make an impression.
