Nothing can go right for Manchester United and Erik ten Hag at the moment. The Red Devils suffered yet another defeat at the hands of Newcastle United on Saturday night in the Premier League and were labelled as a team with "too many bad eggs" by football pundit Alan Shearer.
The lack of effort from several players was perhaps the most damning aspect of United's display at St. James' Park. On a cold night, in front of an uproarious Gallowgate End, Marcus Rashford was singled out for his subpar work-rate by Jamie Carragher as the Magpies decimated United's fullbacks on a number of occasions.
Rashford looks like a shadow of the player he was last season and could find himself out of the starting lineup for the team's upcoming matches which means Ten Hag may look to reshuffle his midfield in the meantime.
Marcus Rashford's stats this season
Rashford predominantly plays off the left which is his favoured position, as he told Gary Neville in a previous episode of The Overlap. However, since the 4-3 collapse at Copenhagen, the attacker has started on the right. Rashford played quite well there up until his controversial red card when United were two goals to the good which was the beginning of the team's demise in Denmark.
Ten Hag has preferred to utilise Alejandro Garnacho on the left flank in recent weeks and the Argentine has rewarded his manager's faith by scoring twice after the international break, including an "absolutely amazing" bicycle kick goal against Everton at Goodison Park.
Nevertheless, a change to the right hasn't helped Rashford's form at Old Trafford. His drop-off in performance levels has been quite stark compared to the previous campaign.
Goals
0.63
0.13
Expected Goals
0.54
0.31
Shots
3.51
2.58
Shots On Target
1.68
0.58
Goals Per Shot
0.17
0.03
Assists
0.19
0.19
Expected Assists
0.10
0.19
Key Passes
1.05
1.32
Successful Take-Ons %
38.4
44.9
Particularly concerning his goalscoring form, Rashford's stats have dropped drastically. The forward's creative output has increased slightly but still not enough to warrant holding onto his starting place.
There is one option that Ten Hag should consider trying out once more should he look to take Rashford out of the firing line.
Bruno Fernandes' stats this season
Bruno Fernandes isn't everyone's cup of tea but his stats since moving to Old Trafford back in 2020 for £47m are quite phenomenal to say the least, having scored 69 goals and recording 59 assists so far at Manchester United.
Fernandes has been United's number '10' for almost four years but has dabbled in a number of different positions too, including as a second striker and a central midfielder.
2019/20
22
12
8
2020/21
58
28
17
2021/22
46
10
14
2022/23
59
14
15
2023/24
20
5
5
However, the skipper has also made 19 appearances for the Red Devils as a winger, primarily on the right flank.
Interestingly, Fernandes had been utilised just twice as a right-winger at the Theatre of Dreams before the arrival of Ten Hag, but United have lost only one game when the Portugal international has played in that position.
Under the Dutchman's guidance, the club captain has scored three goals and registered four assists on the right side, according to Transfermarkt. His most recent appearance there was in the 3-0 derby defeat to Manchester City back in October.
Fernandes' stats on the right are much better than Rashford's since Ten Hag took over Manchester United 18 months ago.
Appearances
10
4
Goals
3
2
Assists
4
0
Putting Bruno on the right would also allow the head coach to bring some more defensive-minded midfielders into the team to shore up the middle of the park, which has looked like a desolate wasteland in recent games for Man United. This could be the tactical switch the side needs to start picking up some big wins ahead of the Christmas period.