1/9 duels won, 1 big chance missed: Man United are ignoring seven-game warning that started under Erik ten Hag

Manchester United are ignoring a seven-game warning with one key player that started under Erik ten Hag earlier this season.

Manchester United managed to secure a point in their home encounter with Chelsea on Sunday evening, despite initially taking the lead with just 20 minutes left on the clock.

Bruno Fernandes converted a penalty, which was awarded after Rasmus Højlund was fouled in the box. However, Chelsea responded swiftly, equalising within five minutes.

United remain in 13th place, marking their worst start to a Premier League season after 10 matches.

Despite this, Ruud van Nistelrooy may find some positives in the result, given Chelsea’s strong form this season and United’s significant struggles.

Garnacho’s underwhelming display vs Chelsea

Alejandro Garnacho has been one of United’s bigger success stories over the last two years but he put in a really disappointing performance against Chelsea.

The winger, who was originally on the right but quickly switched to the left, failed to make any real impact on the game. He won just one out of his nine attempted duels and missed one big chance.

He also failed to play a pass in behind to Amad Diallo in the closing stages of the game where United had caught Chelsea out defensively.

It was an evening to forget for Garnacho, who has had a good season so far in terms of numbers–with six goals and four assists.

Garnacho’s seven-game warning sign

Garnacho was vastly overplayed last season, partly due to injuries and Marcus Rashford’s poor form. It was clear that he needed a more rotated role this term.

That started brilliantly, with the Argentine making significant impact off the bench in his first few games of the season under Erik ten Hag.

Yet, he has now started nine out of the last 11 games. One of the two games he started on the bench, against FC Porto, he came on at half-time.

That was despite the winger being a doubt for the game due to a knee issue. He wore strapping on his left knee for that game and similar strapping has been visible every game since.

It has been seven fixtures overall, with Garnacho starting every game since then and only getting a portion of rest against Leicester City in the Carabao Cup, where he came off with a quarter of an hour to go.

While Garnacho certainly has areas of his game to improve, this game seemed like it was more of a warning sign of the 20-year-old being overplayed while still seemingly dealing with a potential injury issue.

It isn’t like United do not have the options to replace him. Amad Diallo has not started any of the last six games and could slot in on the right side while Rashford moves to the left.

Garnacho dropping to the bench, and perhaps looking to make an impact as a substitute should not be considered a bad thing at Old Trafford. But if he burns out and gets injured, United cannot say that they weren’t warned.

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