Manchester United’s Reality Check?

When the commentator mentioned that Mason Greenwood would be coming on at the start of the second half, it echoed the lack of depth up front for Manchester United. Greenwood had not trained with the team until two days ago; however, when the game needed chasing, Ole had no one else to call upon but him. Greenwood only turns 19 in a fortnight, yet he has played as many games as 27-year-old Paul Pogba since the COVID Restart and had only two weeks of holiday given his controversial call up to the England squad.

Meanwhile, Ed Woodward, the man charged with completing transfers for the club, was seen in the stands as United struggled to match Palace’s intensity.

Lindelof’s flaws were exposed again today for as many times as Palace scored: he didn’t do enough to prevent the cross coming in for Townsend’s first; he gave away the penalty for the second and was shrugged off too easily for Zaha’s third. Lindelof didn’t become culpable overnight, but Ole had been left with no choice but him for the last two seasons. Bailly has been dealing with injuries since the start of his Manchester career, Tuanzebe was injured throughout the previous season, Rojo and Jones…

Maguire wasn’t perfect, either. His lack of pace, and the lack of a complementary CB partner, continues to be a detriment to United who now favor a possession game with a high line–this was evident throughout the match today. He misplaced too many passes, and his positioning was off at times during the game.

Today’s overall poor performance was partly because half of the squad had not returned to training until a few days ago. The usual fluidity in attack accustomed to ‘Post-Bruno’ Manchester United was missing, and the defending was sub-par.

Nonetheless, reinforcements are still needed. Only three of United’s current forwards are trusted to deliver–James has hit a rough patch in his United career, and Ighalo is returning to his home-club in January. If no forward signing is made, United will go into the January transfer window with Rashford, Martial, Greenwood, James, Lingard, and Pereira as their forward options–two of whom are AM’s. It is simply not good enough considering the club’s stature and the fact that they will be playing in the Champions League this season.

What to look forward to…

It is no coincidence that de Gea’s first penalty save in the Premier League–although later nullified–since 2014 coincided with the arrival of his first real goalkeeper challenger, in Dean Henderson. United fans can take relief from the fact that this battle, which is sure to play out over the season, will bring out the best from both keepers whenever they are called upon.

The core of players from that unbeaten run is still there. So the fans can expect to see a similar style of exiting play in the game-weeks to come.

Even before the Crystal Palace thrashing, Manchester United were already looking to complete a few more signings. The loss will not force a change in United’s transfer plan, but rather serve as a subtle reminder of the gaps that need to be filled and the overdue departures.

Featured image: Manchester United’s Swedish defender Victor Lindelof reacts after Referee Martin Atkinson awarded Crystal Palace a penalty during the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England, on September 19, 2020. (Photo by RICHARD HEATHCOTE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)