Manchester United 3-0 Ipswich: 5 Talking Points

Manchester United booked their place into the fourth round of the Capital One Cup with a comfortable 3-0 win over Championship side Ipswich Town. Wayne Rooney scored his first domestic goal of the season in the first half with a composed finish after Daley Blind's through ball.After that, there was only ever going to be one winner as Mick McCarthy made 11 changes to his side from the weekend. 19-year-old midfielder Andreas Pereira, who was making his Manchester United debut, doubled the lead with a sublime free-kick in the second half before substitute Anthony Martial scored his fourth goal for the club in injury time to make it 3-0.Here are the major talking points from the game.

#1 Pereira packs a punch

Given the ease with which Anthony Martial has adjusted to life at Old Trafford, it is fair to say that there was plenty of pressure on the 19-year-old Pereira, who was given his first United start by Louis van Gaal. And the composure and confidence with which the young Brazilian took the free kick to score his first senior goal for the club shows that the production line of players coming through is still a strength while the club continue to splash the cash.

While his free-kick wouldn’t have come as a surprise to many regular viewers of United’s reserve team, to step up in front of a packed Old Trafford on debut, shooing away Juan Mata and Wayne Rooney, shows that Pereira has the temperament as well as the talent to play at the highest level.

Throughout the game, his willingness to shoot and take on defenders was evident and it won’t be long before the Brazilian plays in his preferred no.10 role, if he keeps up performances like this one.

#2 Mick McCarthy\'s priorities are very clear

“We want to win this game, but it’s pretty unlikely that we’ll win this cup. We’ll try and win this, but the league game on Saturday is more important. I'd much rather beat Bristol City at the weekend.”

Those are not the words you want to hear from your manager if you are an Ipswich supporter who made the 240-mile drive from Ipswich to Old Trafford to watch your your beloved club in action.

Not only did Mick McCarthy say that, he backed it up by making 11 changes to the side from the weekend, essentially giving his players a free pass and all but saying that losing this game wasn’t an issue.

Although he can’t be fined for fielding a completely different starting XI, like he did when he was Wolves manager in 2009 and played a weakened team at Old Trafford in the Premier League, it certainly wasn’t what the travelling fans would have wanted. While it is hard to categorically state that Ipswich would have won if they played their starting XI, it would have at least given the fans something to shout about.

Instead, the pragmatism that has served the manager so well in his career was evident once again.

#3 Marouane Fellaini has his limitations

From being the object of ridicule to being the ring leader of Louis van Gaal’s tactical masterplan, it has been an interesting 18 months for Marouane Fellaini. The Belgian, who has played up front as the lone frontman and on the left wing at various parts of his United career, occupied the no.10 role for this game and showed that while he might consider midfield to be his “best position”, he may not have the tools required to be a midfielder under Van Gaal.

While there is little denying the Belgian’s aerial prowess, his ability on the ground is questionable at times. He demonstrated his inability to think like a striker against Liverpool, when he played up front. But he showed his limitations as a midfielder playing the no.10 role.

Fellaini’s passing was limited and when he played deeper in the second half his tendency to give away cheap fouls almost cost his side. Given that Van Gaal can pick and choose from Ander Herrera, Juan Mata, Wayne Rooney and Memphis Depay to play in the no.10 role, it was strange and somehow fitting that Fellaini played there and showed that for all his goals last season, he doesn’t really belong at Manchester United.

#4 Louis van Gaal\'s puzzling youth policy

While Andreas Pereira starting ensured that United extended their record of having an academy graduate in the match-day squad to 3,753 consecutive games, the omission of James Wilson and, to a lesser extent, Jesse Lingard showed that Van Gaal’s trust in young players isn’t unconditional.

The treatment of several young players, including that of Adnan Januzaj and Wilson, who is only of only three recognised strikers in the side, has puzzled United fans everywhere.

Though it is true that Wilson played the full 90 minutes for the Under-21s on Monday and perhaps wasn’t in the best shape to be in the squad, his lack of involvement in previous match-day squads is a concern. A natural finisher with blistering pace, he is very similar to Martial in his style of play.

While one 19-year-old is scoring goals for fun for the first team, the other has become almost a forgotten player since announcing himself under Ryan Giggs’ brief spell in charge in 2014.

#5 Daley Blind steps up

To be fair to most United supporters inside Old Trafford, it is definitely hard to get too excited about the third round of the League Cup when you are playing against a side from the Championship who don’t consider the game worthy of winning. But those who were at Old Trafford were treated to several delights on a night where serene progress to the fourth round of the competition was ensured.

While Pereira’s performance, Rooney scoring his first domestic goal, Martial unable to stop scoring and David De Gea getting his first clean sheet of the season were all important, they were but footnotes on a night when Daley Blind showed once again just why he is one of the best ball-playing centre-backs – not just in the League, but in Europe as well.

Blind may not be the quickest or the strongest, but playing alongside Chris Smalling has meant that both those weaknesses have been taken care of. The Dutchman’s vision and ability to conduct the orchestra from the back has been a feature of United this season.

He may not be the best centre back at the club. But his understanding with Smalling is quickly blossoming into one of the best in the league.