Manchester United 1-1 Fenerbahce: Five things noticed with questions raised after star dispels doubts

Five things noticed as Manchester United fell to a 1-1 draw against Fenerbahce away from home in their third Europa League fixture of the season.

Erik ten Hag chose to start Noussair Mazraoui as the club’s No. 10 as Manchester United lined up to face Fenerbahce in the Europa League away from home.

The tie started fast, with Fenerbahce pressing high and United trying to bait Jose Mourinho‘s side before breaking past their front line. Both sides created chances in the opening minutes, but neither team could break the deadlock.

Read More: Player Ratings – Fenerbahce vs Manchester United (Europa League)

However, after 15 minutes, United opened the scoring. Christian Eriksen finished brilliantly after a lay-off from Joshua Zirkzee left him free to hit the ball first time, well beyond goalkeeper Dominik Livaković.

As the tie went on, both sides created chances, and had it not been for a world-class double save from André Onana, Fenerbahce would have gone into half-time on level terms.

As the teams emerged for the second half, Fenerbahce was able to equalise after just four minutes as Allan Saint-Maximin found Youssef En-Nesyri with an in-swinging cross, who nodded the ball past Onana from close range by taking advantage of Victor Lindelöf.

Ten Hag responded to the goal by shifting multiple players around, with Eriksen heading into the No. 10 role and Rasmus Højlund coming on to replace Zirkzee as a striker. While both teams continued to attempt to create, neither could score a second.

Antony came on for Rashford with 15 minutes left to play but had to come off again due to an injury, with Amad Diallo able to play out the final few minutes, where the fixture ended in a draw.

Here are five things we noticed from the tie in Istanbul.

#1 – Mazraoui’s position change

Many were shocked when Ten Hag confirmed that he would be starting right-back Mazraoui in the attacking midfield position over Eriksen or Amad Diallo.

However, as the game went on, he proved his usefulness in the position. He was involved in the opening goal, passing the ball to Zirkzee before the Dutch striker assisted Eriksen.

He continued to be a threat, making good attacking movements and winning duels high up the field. Although the impact of not having Bruno Fernandes was obvious, he did well in the position but was moved back to left-back after the introduction of Højlund and Casemiro.

#2 – Ugarte dispels the doubts

When it was announced that Manuel Ugarte would be playing against former United midfielders Fred and Sofyan Amrabat, people immediately pointed out that the new signing would need to outshine the players who previously held his current position as the club’s defensive midfielder.

Then, minutes later, the Uruguan international put in a world-class challenge to deny Fenerbahce an equalising effort after Onana’s save was parried straight into the path of the incoming Fenerbahce forward.

Manuel Ugarte stopped THIS from going in 😳🔥 pic.twitter.com/l4z6LOouJi

— UtdDistrict (@UtdDistrict) October 24, 2024

In the second half, there was a momentary flash where some felt Ugarte may have given away a penalty, but the referee quickly waved this off.

#3 – Eriksen’s contract must be considered

In just under two months, Eriksen will be able to talk openly with clubs across the world once his United deal enters its final six months.

The Danish star has been very open about his future, saying he will consider his options, but it would be odd for United not to discuss an extension with him, even if it’s just a one-year deal.

Eriksen has been phenomenal since the start of 2024/25, and his performance against Fenerbahce was another fantastic display from the 32-year-old.

#4 – Questions over Zirkzee

Major question marks are hanging over Joshua Zirkzee’s head. After a week of discourse surrounding the new £36 million signing and after Højlund impressed up front on the weekend, Zirkzee failed to make a positive impression.

Although his lay-off for Eriksen’s goal was neat, there were several moments where it felt he was a fraction too late to play a pass, or if he did play a pass at the right moment, it was overhit.

After 55 minutes, Zirkzee was replaced by Højlund, and United looked much more of a connected attacking threat. It’s still early days for Zirkzee, but he must learn to adapt to his teammates.

#5 – Another draw is not good enough

This result means that United have drawn their opening three Europa League ties, which leaves them playing catch-up with the rest of the pack in the league table.

There are five games to go, and it can be argued that their toughest fixtures are now out of the way, but extra emphasis will now be placed on ensuring those ties are won.

The side will now need to be almost flawless in both the Premier League and Europa League to regain a decent footing in the two competitions.

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