“He won’t be starting till further notice…He must clearly improve to included in the squad again”: Erik ten Hag finally bows to fans pressure, removed big name player from the squad till further notice
After a relatively excellent run of play in recent weeks, Erik ten Hag’s team dropped points once more on Saturday night, drawing 0-0 away at Crystal Palace – therefore it may be time for the manager to make some difficult selection decisions.
Prior to the international break, supporters were disappointed by a 3-0 home loss to arch rivals Liverpool. The Red Devils seemed to have turned a new page with victories against Southampton in the league and Barnsley in the EFL Cup.
However, if Saturday’s lackluster performance is any indication, United still have a long way to go if they want to return to the top four this season. United controlled possession and had more attempts on target than their opponents, but one player’s performance in particular has disappointed fans.
Ten Hag Must Make Fernandes Decision.
Despite signing a new deal, Bruno Fernandes has struggled to make an impression at Selhurst Park this season. Saturday night’s performance against Palace summed up the midfielder’s recent poor form, and it is time for Ten Hag to change things up.
According to Sofascore, Fernandes lost control 34 times in 94 minutes at Selhurst Park, which might have cost the squad dearly. To put it into context, Amad Diallo committed 19 turnovers, ranking second among starters.
Fernandes had a chance to make apologies with the final kick of the game when United was granted a late free kick, but his ball into the area was easily dealt with and cleared by the Palace defenders. The midfielder’s passing accuracy was 72%, the lowest among all starts.
