Manchester United beat West Ham United 3-0 in what turned into the most comfortable league game at Old Trafford so far this season. Goals from Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho (2) ensured a serene afternoon for a team that hasn’t had too many so far this campaign.
In the aftermath, manager Erik ten Hag declared that ” you can see the potential” in the squad. Let’s look at some Manchester United key takeaways from an afternoon in which that potential came to the fore.
Manchester United Key Takeaways From The Win Over The Hammers
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A Full Squad Makes A World Of Difference
With the returns of key players Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro and Luke Shaw to the squad, there has been a fluency about the Red Devils in the past few games that was notably absent from the first few months of the season.
Whilst some of the criticism of Ten Hag was warranted during that time, the calls to fire the Dutchman were clearly premature and judgement will be reserved for the second half of the campaign now that he has (almost) a full group of players at his disposal.
Alejandro Garnacho Is Even More Effective On The Right Wing
Sunday’s win was only the eighth time this season that Garnacho has played on the right hand side for Manchester United, compared to 23 times from the left in Ten Hag’s typical 4-2-3-1 formation.
Despite the manager’s clear preference for inverted wingers, the numbers make a good argument for the right-footed Argentine to start on that side as much as possible, four goals in eight games from the right compared to just three in 23 from the left paint a clear picture of where the 19-year-old is more effective.
Lisandro Martinez Transforms The Way The Team Plays
The sight of World Cup winner Martinez limping off the field in the second half will have caused concern for fans, even more so given that the former Ajax man has since been diagnosed with knee ligament damage that could potentially keep him out for up to two months.
The centre-back is essential to how the Red Devils play, providing tenacity as well as ball progressing ability that other defenders in the squad don’t have.
Rasmus Hojlund Is Potentially World Class
With four goals and two assists in his past four Premier League games, the Dane is on red-hot form right now. The potential was always there, but a lack of attacking cohesion in the first half of the season meant a lack of service for the striker. As a result, his finishing ability was only intermittently evident and confined to United’s entertaining yet ultimately doomed Champions League campaign.
In the past few games, the improvement in the final third has coincided with Hojlund’s explosion in the Premier League. Getting consistent service to the formidable ex-Atalanta man could be the key to United catching up in the top 4 race.
Conclusion
This was by far Manchester United’s most convincing performance of the season, a real marker of a team waking up from an extended autumn and winter hibernation and ready to attack the second half of the campaign. With that being said, the loss of Martinez will be a huge blow and the team will hope to withstand the loss in the coming few weeks.
The Red Devils travel to Villa Park to take on Aston Villa next Sunday (4:30pm KO).
