6
Manchester United succumbed to their 11th defeat of the season and the first-ever at Old Trafford against Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday.
The 0-3 scoreline was the fourth time United have conceded three goals at Old Trafford this season, a stat reflective of the current dismal campaign.
Manager Erik ten Hag looked deflated at full-time, looking like someone who has already accepted defeat and it showed in the strange selection call he took.
How does Martial still start games
Playing Anthony Martial from the start was a strange choice considering the disastrous performance he put in a week ago against Newcastle United.
And that proved to be the case as the Frenchman looked lost, hardly affected play and failed to hold the ball up or be at the right place at the right time.
During his 56-minute stay on the pitch, the 27-year-old managed to complete only 19 out of 25 passes for a pass completion rate of 76 percent.
He only had one weak effort on goal while failing to make any crosses or complete any dribbles, highlighting how much of a non-existent threat he was on the night.
The France international was his usual lazy self, not pressing from the front and winning only 43 percent of his duels. He failed to make any interceptions and lost the ball 11 times (stats from Sofascore).
Martial was very poor
He was rightfully booed by the Old Trafford faithful when his number came up and substitute Rasmus Hojlund put in much more of an effort while pressing.
How the Frenchman has survived so long at Old Trafford despite so many mediocre performances over the years is quite surprising.
How Ten Hag keeps picking him is also puzzling. The manager will ultimately be judged on the points the team accrues and currently, it is simply not good enough.
There are even talks of a contract extension for the former Monaco star. The club is surely in tatters if something like that occurs.
This website aggregates and curates news articles, blog posts, and other content from a variety of external sources. While we aim to link back to the original source, this site does not own or claim ownership of any articles, posts, or other content indexed on this site. The views, opinions, and factual statements expressed in each piece of aggregated content belong solely to its respective author and publisher. We make no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or completeness of aggregated content. Visitors are advised to verify facts and claims through the original source before reuse or redistribution.