Erik ten Hag must find a way to get the best from Man Utd’s two most dangerous attackers

The message from Erik ten Hag ahead of this season was clear: Produce consistently from the start. Yet the response has been underwhelming.

Few in attendance at Old Trafford on 5 August would have anticipated that, as Alejandro Garnacho was comfortably Manchester United’s best player in a 3-1 win over Champions League side Lens. But the impressive display did not transition into the new season, and the winger was poor in the opening two matches against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur, before being dropped to the bench for encounters with Nottingham Forest and Arsenal.

In the latter, Garnacho provided another reminder of just why he is so highly regarded at Old Trafford, as the winger took advantage of Arsenal’s high line, anticipated Casemiro’s pass, made an excellent run beyond the last defender and coolly slotted the ball past Aaron Ramsdale. But for a marginal offside call, the post-match debrief would have no doubt centred around the young talent Ten Hag has at his disposal.

The Dutchman hasn’t quite worked out how best to utilise the attacker yet , and in May, Ten Hag admitted that Garnacho’s next challenge is to regularly produce as a starter. “He is ready and straight into the game and that is so important for the squad you can bring young players and hopefully he will progress so quickly he can compete for starting position. That is his challenge.”

It was his ability to impact games from the bench that stood out last season, and Garnacho scored the winner against Fulham, netted in the victory over Leeds United, while he also provided assists against Manchester City, Aston Villa and Wolves after being introduced. Yet, the virtuoso displays were often reserved for those cameo showings, and from 11 starts, only against Real Sociedad and West Ham United in the cup competitions did Garnacho really stand out.

After the latter, Ten Hag claimed few players in world football possess the same talent as the teenager when it comes to beating an opponent, while adding on a separate occasion that ‘anything is possible’ for Garnacho.

It’s his youthfulness that is preventing more questions being asked, and at just 19, Garnacho could be a key component of United’s attack for the next decade. Yet, there is one major complication on that front: Marcus Rashford.

Ten Hag has repeatedly tried to utilise United’s no.10 through the middle, but rarely has the England international been able to master the role. Roy Keane last month said Rashford was ‘like a child’ when trying to play as a striker, and the 25-year-old has been significantly more constructive since reverting to his preferred role on the left, a position from which Garnacho also produces his best stuff.

On Sunday, as United searched for a late winner against Arsenal, Rashford was forced to play from the right, and there seems no obvious way for Ten Hag to fit his two most efficient attacking players into the starting line-up.

Admittedly, Garnacho has never been utilised on the right flank, and it does offer Ten Hag one solution to his infuriating problem. It’s an option that looks even more appealing when considering Garnacho’s 0.67 goals & assists per 90 last season, which far outstrips that of Jadon Sancho (0.37) and Antony (0.32), who tend to operate on the right. Given the respective issues surrounding the latter pair, finding a way to shoehorn Rashford and Garnacho into the side may become a necessity.

Rasmus Hojlund’s arrival does offer another interesting dimension to this complex predicament, and a fluid front three with Garnacho, Rashford and Hojlund interchanging roles has some merit to it. Regardless, Ten Hag needs to stumble upon a winning formula soon, following an underwhelming beginning to the new campaign.

None of United’s four performances so far could be described as good and, in truth, the Red Devils deserve less than the six points they’ve managed to accumulate. Getting the best from Ten Hag’s attacking players will be key to the next chapter of the season, with United beginning their Carabao Cup and Champions League campaigns in between the September and October international breaks, as well as Premier League outings against Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford.

A poor sequence of results over the next seven games would see Ten Hag face the sort of pressure he’s yet to really experience since taking over at Old Trafford. Finding the back will key in the short-term, especially with United significantly underperforming from their expected goals (xG) stats from this season.

United have registered an xG of 8.41, but have scored just five times this season, with only Chelsea and Everton posting lower numbers. Converting chances was an issue that blighted the team at the end of last campaign and referenced again by Ten Hag in pre-season.

Rashford, Garnacho and Anthony Martial were the team’s most efficient producers in front of goal last term, and as the latter looks increasingly disinterested, it only further amplifies the need for Rashford and Garnacho to produce in tandem.