Erik ten Hag has sent clear message to two underperforming Man Utd stars

Scott McTominay’s injury-time brace on Saturday masked yet another disappointing performance for Manchester United at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils had trailed 1-0 going into the third minute of added-on time, but somehow managed to take all three points against Brentford after two stellar moments from McTominay.

United can certainly count themselves lucky to win on an afternoon where they were ponderous and disjointed in attack, while the abysmal defending for Mathias Jensen’s opener was symbolic of the error-strewn approach that has derailed the Red Devils’ start to the campaign.

Despite the result, there was little for United fans to feel optimistic about, other Erik ten Hag’s substitutions which provided more of an attacking emphasis in the latter stages. The introductions of Christian Eriksen, Antony, Alejandro Garnacho, Anthony Martial and, of course, McTominay were an indication of Ten Hag’s increasing desperation as the game edged closer and closer to full-time.

In his changes, Ten Hag only kept two of his starting front six on the pitch. Ramsus Hojlund is the biggest goal threat at present - as demonstrated by last week’s loss to Galatasaray - while Bruno Fernandes is a player who is rarely replaced, meaning both played the full 90.

The same cannot be said of Marcus Rashford though, who was hooked not long after the hour mark hour despite United being in need of a goal. This wasn’t an aberration and Rashford has been taken off in all of the last three matches, at times when United were chasing the game.

Ten Hag admitted last week that the United attacker, who netted 30 in all competitions last term, is ‘struggling’ at the start of a campaign that has yielded just one goal from 10 appearances. But being replaced in three consecutive matches is an alarming trend for Rashford, who was outshone by the impact of Alejandro Garnacho on Saturday. Again, that’s not a first this season, and it feels like only a matter of time until the latter replaces Rashford in the starting line-up.

But for all of the England international's frustrations in the early months of the new campaign, there have been positive moments, such as the displays against Arsenal and Bayern Munich. It’s a different Rashford to one who habitually terrified defences last season, and the 2023/24 version is less clinical, less penetrative with his runs, while his body language suggests a lack of confidence, motivation, or both.

He’s not the only player whose standards have dropped drastically from last season, and Casemiro was another once undroppable player who was taken off at the weekend. Indeed, the Brazilian, who was so often a one-man juggernaut during his first campaign at Old Trafford, looks far off the pace.

On Saturday, Casemiro repeatedly lost possession, including once after passing the ball straight out of play from a throw-in, while he was also partly to blame for Jensen’s first goal.

It’s a remarkable downturn from the ex-Real Madrid man and much of United’s defensive woes this season can be traced back to Casemiro’s poor screening of the back four. Ten Hag redeployed the midfielder into a more offensive role against Brentford, with Sofyan Amrabat sitting in front of the defence, but even the removal of that defensive burden didn’t result in an upturn in form, and Casemiro was actually withdrawn at the break.

"I wanted more football," Ten Hag said, when asked why he opted to substitute Casemiro. "One who brings passing, distribution, link-up play. So I thought bring Christian Eriksen for Case.”

It isn’t hard to read between the lines, Ten Hag simply won’t accept these substandard displays. Along with Fernandes, Rashford and Casemiro were two of United’s top three contributors last season in terms of goals and assists, yet Ten Hag knew his side’s best route back into the game was the removal of his no.10 and no.18. That really does point to how different things feel this term compared to last.

Ten Hag said after the game on Saturday that he hopes United’s spirited fightback will be a ‘turning point’ in the season, but, over the course of the whole campaign, getting the likes of Rashford and Casemiro back to their optimal levels would prove more significant than one McTominay brace in October.