Is there going to be one for the derby?
The eleven that Erik ten Hag chose to start were, as was to be anticipated, the most talented players who were available. In the coming days, nine of the starters will depart for international duty, but barring any injuries, almost all of them should start when the team takes on Manchester City on the second Sunday after the international break.
If Marcus Rashford or Anthony Martial had been available for the Moldova game, it is likely that one of them would have started ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo had a tense performance against Real Sociedad last week and scored the penalty that got his team on the board for the competition.
In United's last four Premier League matches, Rashford has recorded three goals and two assists, and he has started all six of the club's games in the league. Rashford will have more time to recover from his muscle injury before the Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium, where he has already scored twice while wearing Manchester United's red shirt.
Also, compare the ratings of United's players with those of Sheriff.
It might seem risky to leave out Casemiro when facing City's quick-footed midfielders, but the pace of the game would be the fastest he has ever experienced in a match, and if Casemiro were to make the starting lineup, it would not necessarily be at the expense of McTominay's spot.
First interview with Lisandro Martinez representing Man United
The very first interview that Lisandro Martinez gave after signing with Manchester United
Martinez paves the way for a successful breakthrough.
Although the pass that Lisandro Martinez played to Ronaldo in the 15th minute did not result in a goal due to Ronaldo's desperate fall, it was a significant step forward for Manchester United nonetheless. After two minutes, Jadon Sancho provided the team with the go-ahead goal.
Martinez's uncompromising defense is an asset, but so is his ability to distribute the ball and play line-breaking passes that either start attacks or speed them up. Ten Hag will have in-depth knowledge of that because he was responsible for Martinez's development while he was at Ajax, and the Argentinean plays with the same level of culture as a Dutchman.
A scouting report on Martinez that was submitted to Ajax in January 2017 was prophetic. The report stated that Martinez "plays as a left center back and has a good technique with pinpoint short and long passes."
The response from Sancho could at long last put pressure on Grealish.
Sancho scored his third goal of the year just hours after he was left out of the England squad for the fourth tournament in a row. The winger did not score his third goal until February of the previous season, and he has improved with each new manager that United has had since David Moyes.
Sancho is ecstatic about it.
The coaching staff for England have never quite warmed up to Sancho, and some of them had the impression that he was distracted during the European Championship up until his transfer to United was finalized. When you consider that Sancho is currently playing for United and that he is being treated differently to certain other compatriots, your concerns seem rather petty.
Jack Grealish has failed to live up to expectations in his more than a year at Manchester City, and he has only started once in the Premier League this season. Due to the lack of scrutiny that is placed on City, he has been able to sneak his way into Gareth Southgate's squad despite having commanded a fee of one hundred million pounds.
Ronaldo extends record
It took a penalty to break the scoreless streak, but Ronaldo made sure he wouldn't go without a club goal in the months of August and September, breaking a streak that went all the way back to 2004.
In light of the fact that Ronaldo's insatiable hunger for goals is what sets him apart from every other player who has ever played the game, the celebration police are likely to have taken exception to Ronaldo performing his signature celebration in front of the Moldovan champions.
In order to deflect some of the criticism and put some pressure on Ten Hag as he considers the starting lineup for the derby, Ronaldo needed to score a goal.
Alphonsus Odumu 6 w
Martinez