This year was supposed to be the year when things would finally turn around for Manchester United. After enduring one poor season after another since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down, this season was supposed to be the dawn of a new era. The Jose Mourinho era. And start it did brilliantly. Big names were signed, Community Shield was in the bag, three wins out of first three league games and United were touted to be the contenders again.
But things have gone downhill ever since for the controversial Portuguese and his team. A poor run of results sees them in the 6th place in the league, 6 points off fourth-placed Manchester City. While generally the performances have been good from Mourinho’s men, it has been their ability to close down the games that has been the main reason for their plight. But there have been some players who have struggled to perform to the level required from a United player. We look at the three of the most underperforming players for the Red Devils this season:
Anthony Martial
Anthony Martial, after a starring campaign last term, which saw him finish as the highest scorer for United, has struggled to hit similar heights under Jose Mourinho this season.
Having featured mainly on the left-flank, the Frenchman has looked short on confidence at times while he has struggled to get past players as successfully as last season. In his 10 league appearances, he has managed to score only once, against Stoke City, and has set up three more for his teammates, but has been largely inconsistent for United. He will need to get firing soon if United are to make it far this season.
Wayne Rooney
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Poor start to the campaign by his standards. Rooney has scored just one goal in his 12 appearances in the league. The captain seems to be a shadow of his former self as his touch seems to have deserted him completely. There is a notable drop in his pace and every time he gets on the ball, he somehow slows things down for United.
On the verge of eclipsing Sir Bobby Charlton as United’s leading ever goalscorer, Rooney has been laborious at best for the Red Devils this term. However, there has been a slight upturn of form in the recent weeks, but it remains a big question whether he will manage to sustain that form for long.
Marcus Rashford
Another player who burst onto the scene last season with some breathtaking displays, Marcus Rashford has had a hard time this term to repeat the performances from last year.
The 19-year old started the season quite well, scoring some crucial goals for United against Hull City, Watford and Leicester but the goals have dried up ever since. With Mourinho preferring to use Zlatan Ibrahimović upfront, Rashford has constantly been played out on the wings, and with each passing game, his confidence seems to be a taking a hit.
Having scored only thrice in 12 league games, and none in 4 Europa League appearances and having created only 9 chances combined, Rashford has been found lacking for United this season.