After defeating Sheffield United 4-2 on Wednesday evening, Manchester United welcome their second relegation-threatened side to Old Trafford today.
The side attempting to defeat Erik ten Hag’s team is Vincent Kompany’s Burnley, who still have a very real chance of staying in the division amid a recent upturn in form.
Nonetheless, the expectation for the Red Devils will be to display another convincing performance to the one against the Blades, minus the goals conceded.
In order for that to occur, a similar team must be fielded, but one player has to replace Christian Eriksen, who struggled in the week.
Why Eriksen must drop out of the side
Eriksen’s involvement over the last few months has been minimal, with his first start since January coming on Wednesday.
Although it wasn’t a disastrous showing, his performance was that of a player who’d had very few minutes, with Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst handing him a 5/10 rating.
The Dane was as technically comfortable as always, but he lacked any real intensity both on the ball and off it, making just one key pass out of his 56 completed.
Eriksen also offered absolutely nothing from a defensive standpoint, winning just one out of three duels, making one tackle, and being dribbled past once.
The 32-year-old was withdrawn just after the hour mark, and his replacement on the evening should return to the team this afternoon.
Why McTominay has to be unleashed against Burnley
Scott McTominay is the definition of a Marmite player; you either love him or loathe him, but there’s no denying that he’s stepped up when needed this season.
The Scottish midfielder has only started 15 Premier League matches this season, despite making 28 appearances, but his influence on the side has been huge, especially from the bench.
The 27-year-old has had some injury issues in recent weeks that stemmed from a problem in the 4-3 defeat to Chelsea, hence why he didn’t start against the Blades last time out.
However, McTominay has the exact profile that’s needed against a team like Burnley, and he could be key to helping the Red Devils pick up three points today.
Goals
7
1
Shots (per game)
1.3
0.6
Touches (per game)
30.1
44.8
Passes completed (per game)
16.1
31.4
Tackles (per game)
1.6
0.9
Dribbled past (per game)
0.4
1.2
Duels won (per game)
3.5
1.2
As you can see from his average statistics in the Premier League this season compared to Eriksen’s, he’s a completely different profile from the number 14.
The number 39 is far less likely to impact the game from a creativity standpoint and even in terms of control, but what could make him pivotal this weekend is his ability to influence the game in the final third.
United legend Rio Ferdinand said that McTominay is a player who “loves a goal,” and his record really does speak for itself, as he’s netted seven times in the league, the joint-third most in the squad.
McTominay has become a master of making late runs into the box and being in the right place at the right time, and against a low block like Burnley, his movement could be the game-changer.
Unlike every other United player, bar Harry Maguire, McTominay provides a huge threat in the air, which will make the hosts much more dangerous from set pieces and crosses, and with the majority of space inevitably being in wide zones, that’ll be particularly key.
Furthermore, the United academy graduate does provide more defensive support than Eriksen, which will in turn make Ten Hag’s side more defensively secure and prepared for counterattacks.
Overall, although McTominay is hardly an undroppable figure in the side, he’s perfect for a fixture like today’s, and therefore, he simply has to start.
Ten Hag’s “passenger” shouldn't play for Man Utd again after 5/10 display
The midfielder was subbed off early by Erik ten Hag.
ByTom Lever
