On Saturday, Manchester United failed to beat a team yet to taste victory in the Premier League this season despite enjoying one of their best opening hours under Erik ten Hag at Crystal Palace.
The result at Selhurst Park, which left United in the bottom half of the table after five matches, unsurprisingly reignited sour sparks after a positive week featuring 3-0 and 7-0 wins.
But the negative headline machine was churning out its latest batch of Ten Hag questioning before kick-off when he named Marcus Rashford among his substitutes.
The decision raised eyebrows, given Rashford had provided three goals and an assist in United’s last two outings.
One pundit went as far as to wildly speculate on live television that he felt “something had happened” between the 26-year-old and his manager.
The thing is… those slamming Ten Hag’s decision to switch Rashford out for Alejandro Garnacho are very likely the same who have been calling for United to improve their mediocre squad depth in recent years.
The Red Devils ended last season with only two natural forwards starting matches in an injury-stricken campaign. It was no surprise they finished a record-low eighth.
Now, through developments including Amad Diallo’s rise and Joshua Zirkzee’s arrival, Ten Hag will believe he has two high-quality options in all three of his attacking positions.
Rashford was simply rested for Garnacho – who has notched four goals and three assists in three appearances this term. And, if anything, United’s performance levels improved.
While the results are not necessarily good enough, Ten Hag’s newfound ability to swap big names to positive effect is among the reasons to be optimistic in the early stages of 2024/25.
The masses clamoured for improved squad depth.
This is what it looks like.
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