Ten Hag Must Drop £300k-p/w Man Utd Star & Unleash “Dynamite” Ace vs Southampton

Manchester United’s trip to Southampton this weekend could be a season-defining one for Erik ten Hag. The Red Devils have made a less than impressive start to their campaign, with one win and two defeats from their opening three games, leaving them in 14th following the international break.

Ten Hag has admitted that there can no longer be any excuses and that his side have to win every game they play in. As a result, the Dutchman will have some big calls to make, such as sticking with Matthijs de Ligt despite his woeful displays for the Netherlands over the last week.

The biggest decision arguably remains what to do at the attacking end of the pitch. Aside from Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford is the only player to have started all three games this season in attack. However, the time may have come for the £300k-per-week man to step aside for a ‘dynamite’ young star who has already shown his value this season.

Amad Diallo Knocking on Rashford’s Door

The Ivorian has impressed in the early stages

After some loan spells at the likes of Rangers and Sunderland in recent years, Amad Diallo’s is beginning to establish himself as one of the most important members of the Manchester United squad. Having arrived at the club after making very few appearances for Atalanta in 2021, he scored his first goal that year in the Europa League against AC Milan.

He would end up waiting three years until he found the net again in the red shirt, but it would be worth the wait. The 120th minute strike that sent Liverpool crashing out of the FA Cup last season not only eventually helped the Red Devils win the trophy, but gave Diallo cult hero status. With Antony struggling for form and Jadon Sancho nowhere to be seen, fans begged for Diallo to be handed more minutes.

That’s exactly what happened towards the back end of the 2023/24 campaign. This was followed by an impressive pre-season and starts in the Community Shield and the opening two league fixtures. Despite scoring in the second game against Brighton, he was dropped for the North-West clash with Liverpool at the start of the month, but showed some impetus when he came off the bench. That is enough to suggest that now is the time to try out he and Alejandro Garnacho in their preferred positions and give Rashford a rest.

Rashford and Diallo’s Form Compared

Diallo has outperformed Rashford since his famous FA Cup goal

The proof is in the pudding when it comes to who has been in better form of late out of Rashford and Diallo. Although the Englishman was sidelined with an injury towards the latter stages of last season, he has failed to provide a single contribution since the FA Cup win against their arch-rivals last March. A glorious opportunity against Manchester City in the Community Shield and a bundled home effort that was ruled out for offside against Brighton was the closest he came.

As for the Ivorian, he has managed another two goals and an assist in the time since then. Admittedly, these aren’t the most stellar numbers either, but in general, he has provided more of a threat too and must be trusted more by his manager.

The winger made it clear he wanted more game time

It is clear that the 22-year-old has come into this season with a chip on his shoulder and a point to prove. Having been made to wait patiently for his opportunity, the former Atalanta youngster has made it clear that he is ready to step up to the plate for United and make the right-wing spot his own. Speaking after a pre-season victory over Real Betis, Diallo stated:

That attitude has personified his all-action displays in the early goings of the season. As the stats below from this season show, Diallo is already outperforming Rashford in many metrics.

While it is commendable that Ten Hag has stuck with Rashford through this challenging period, Southampton must be the game where he takes the brakes of a raring-to-go Amad and unleash him alongside Garnacho and co.

All statistics courtesy of WhoScored and Transfermarkt – accurate as of 13/09/2024