Højlund, Garnacho, Mainoo show Man United’s bright future،
MANCHESTER, England – Whatever happens at Manchester United between now and the end of the season, manager Erik ten Hag can at least point to the emergence of Rasmus Højlund, Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo as bright spots in an otherwise campaign forgettable.
It was fitting that the trio, all aged under 21, sat on the advertising boards outside the Stretford End after Garnacho scored United's second goal in a 3-0 win over West Ham on Sunday. Ten Hag hopes the image will still be circulating and posted on social media in 10 years' time – a first glimpse of the players who will become the core of United's next great team. For now, though, it will be enough to give Ten Hag a rare comfortable day at Old Trafford.
Højlund scored for the fourth consecutive Premier League match, on his 21st birthday, and Garnacho scored the other two as United won comfortably; their first league victory at home with more than a goal difference this season.
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It has been a calamitous campaign at times, and even a positive afternoon for Ten Hag has been accompanied by a downside. It was also an important event as defender Lisandro Martínez, having just returned from a foot injury, was forced to retire with a worrying knee injury. With Martinez, Casemiro and Luke Shaw returning from injury, United are starting to look more like the team that finished third last season and the last thing Ten Hag need is to be without Martinez for another prolonged period.
As miserable as some of the results have been this season, United are still playing for the FA Cup and a Champions League place. As much as they need Højlund to keep scoring and Mainoo to keep playing well, they also need Martinez and Casemiro to stay fit.
“I’m not telling you we’re here, where we want, but you see the potential,” Ten Hag said. “We saw the potential in these players [Højlund, Garnacho and Mainoo], but they need games. They need experience, and the only way to get it is to play in the first team.
“They have the right attitude and when you have the attitude to improve every day, I am convinced that they can reach high levels, but they need experienced players who have achieved everything to help them.
“When certain positions are not available, you have to be creative. We have certain moments of the season where you have to adapt to bring out an eleven. Now the danger comes from Licha Martinez, so I hope we don't come back back. it's not 11 players, it's 15 or 16, so hopefully we can keep them all fit.”
Ten Hag is finally getting closer to the team he wanted all along. Højlund arrived from Atalanta injured and did not start a match until mid-September; Martinez was injured in late September; Casemiro was sent off in November; Mainoo missed pre-season with a knee injury and was only fit enough to start a match for the first time in late November; Shaw was away for three months between August and November.
This meant that at different times Ten Hag's squad depth was tested as he was forced to choose Hannibal (now on loan at Sevilla), Facundo Pellistri (now on loan at Granada) and Sergio Reguilón (still unwanted at Tottenham and now on loan to Brentford.)
It will be a blow to lose Martinez for a while, but at least there is cover in central defense with Raphaël Varane, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelöf and Jonny Evans. On the other hand, he has very few options to replace Højlund, Casemiro and Shaw.
Ten Hag chose Maguire to partner Martinez at full-back against West Ham, and although the England defender had a tough time – he was robbed by Emerson Palmieri and lost a Jarrod Bowen point for the game's two best chances of West Ham – he still helped United secure a first Premier League clean sheet since the 0-0 draw with Liverpool on December 17 after conceding at least two goals in their previous five matches.
“It’s only one game, so don’t go celebrating it too much,” Ten Hag said. “I don't think we have reasons at the moment to do it, but for today we are satisfied. You need routines to get performances and you have to make split-second decisions.
“Whenever you have to change teams, swap your centre-backs and your right-back for your left-back, it's about looking at each other and making the right decisions. Top-level football is all about details.
There will come a time between now and the end of the season when Ten Hag will sit down with the club's new minority owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, to discuss whether or not he is the man to take United forward. Ratcliffe's mission is to bring success back to Old Trafford after more than a decade of disappointment, and a decision on the manager will be an early test of his new regime.
Ten Hag are battling a start to the season which saw United kicked out of Europe before Christmas and falling behind in the race for a top four finish. But more comfortable days like this, with continued contribution from Højlund, Garnacho and Mainoo, and he will be able to portend a bright future with himself at the helm.
