Erik ten Hag has hinted towards offensive change for Manchester United against Brentford following their loss to Newcastle on Sunday.
It was a disappointing performance and result for United at St James’ Park as they struggled in all areas of the pitch.
With just 0.4 xG across the 90 minutes, it was the team’s lowest tally in a game so far this season.
Despite his excellent goalscoring form, Marcus Rashford was quiet on the night. Wout Weghorst had just 10 touches during his 62 minutes on the pitch.
Antony looked promising on the right side against Dan Burn but was surprisingly replaced by Jadon Sancho.
Ten Hag was critical of his team’s offensive play after the loss and whilst the manager didn’t single out any names; his comments suggest that Anthony Martial could replace Weghorst up front next time out.
The Dutchman also stated that there was “almost nothing” coming from Rashford’s left side in the game but the English winger’s importance to the side is large. He has also not gone more than two games without a goal since October. So it’s unlikely to see him exit the side.
“I think our attacking game was not good enough. I don’t want to be focused on one person. It was about team performance.
“We didn’t break them down. In the first half we had a trap on the right side with Antony and Diogo [Dalot] but on the left we had almost nothing. That is the conclusion of the game.
“Today we didn’t create many chances and when we were there, we weren’t determined enough to score a goal. That’s the truth. The best chance was maybe for the equaliser for [Anthony] Martial, the deflected shot. But we didn’t create enough.”
It was Martial’s first minutes in a United shirt since the beginning of February. When fit this season he’s been impressive, but availability has been a major issue for the Frenchman.
Should he be in the XI on Wednesday against Brentford, it will be his first start since the 2-1 win against Manchester City on January 14.