At Craven Cottage on Sunday afternoon, Manchester United capped off their season with a dramatic victory, defeating Fulham by a score of 2-1 before taking a break for the World Cup.
Youngster Alejandro Garnacho scored the game-winning goal for the Reds in the 93rd minute after coming off the bench to help seal a dramatic victory for the team. With the win, the Reds moved to within three points of the top-four spots in the Premier League. They finished the regular season within striking distance of a spot in the Champions League, which is a remarkable accomplishment considering that after the first two rounds of the season they were at the bottom of the table.
Under Erik ten Hag's leadership, United have experienced a dramatic turnaround in their fortunes, and it is reasonable to anticipate that they will continue to improve as the season progresses. As the weeks pass, the Dutchman learns more and more about his players, which means that he should be close to deciding on what he is likely to consider to be his strongest starting line-up moving forward.
Ten Hag has not had the opportunity to settle on a preferred starting lineup very often so far this season due to injury concerns, particularly in forward areas, but there is optimism that he could start to deploy a more settled side after the World Cup. However, because Garnacho has been performing so well as of late, and because Anthony Martial has recently returned to full fitness, it means that Ten Hag could be faced with some challenging choices in the weeks and months ahead.
Given the number of games that Manchester United still has to play before the end of the season and the fact that they are participating in four different competitions, it is reasonable to anticipate that the team will undergo changes and rotations at various points throughout the campaign. This will give Ten Hag the opportunity to experiment as well as tinker.
Having said that, MEN's Sport has taken a detailed look at just three of the many different ways in which United's attack could be lined up.
Antony, Martial, and Rashford made up the first attack.
Many people, including fans of United, journalists, and other commentators, believe that this is United's most formidable front-three lineup since Ten Hag took over. The former manager of Ajax made it his mission over the course of the summer to improve the right-wing options available to the Reds, and he had Antony in mind as his top target.
United finally secured his signature towards the end of the transfer window after countless weeks of speculation, and he has enjoyed a solid start to life at Old Trafford, despite being forced to miss the last five games prior to the pause because of injury. Due to the fact that the Brazilian's injury occurred at the same time that Martial returned from his back injury, the Brazilian has not yet had the opportunity to combine efforts with the Frenchman for an appreciable amount of time. They have only started together once, and that was in the game against Everton last month when Martial suffered the back injury that was previously mentioned. They won that game 2-1.
Martial has struggled with injuries throughout the season, but Ten Hag has been able to get excellent production out of him when he has been called upon. In just seven games, Martial has scored four goals and added two assists. He is the Dutchman's first choice for the striker position, and he is behind him 100 percent in his efforts to propel United's offense forward.
Additionally, Rashford has flourished so far under Ten Hag's tutelage, exhibiting a great deal of encouragement and becoming a genuine goal-scoring threat once more.
This is a possible attacking formation for Manchester United that includes Antony, Martial, and Rashford.
This is a possible attacking formation for Manchester United that includes Antony, Martial, and Rashford.
Antony, Martial, and Garnacho make up Attack 2
The unexpected ascent of Garnacho has catapulted him to the top of the food chain in lightning speed. After hardly getting any playing time at all this season prior to starting United's 3-0 victory over Sheriff Tiraspol in the Europa League on October 27, the Argentine has now participated in five of United's last six matches across all competitions. This includes appearances in both the league and cup matches.
In his most recent four appearances, he has not only scored twice but also grabbed two assists, which means that he has completely justified his recent inclusions in the team. On the other hand, because of his relationship with the left wing, he is in weekly head-to-head competition with Marcus Rashford for a spot in the starting lineup.
Rashford's best position is on the left wing, and because Ten Hag has been in such good form this year, he cannot take the England star out of his best team in order to make room for the 18-year-old, no matter how much promise the younger player is displaying for the future. At some point, United needs to experiment with playing Garnacho on the right side of their defense.
Garnacho, on the other hand, is in an excellent position to capitalize on a vacancy in this scenario in the event that Ten Hag is ever without Rashford or decides to switch things up in some way, perhaps for a cup match. It is important to take into account his presence as a player.
This is a possible attacking formation for Manchester United that includes Antony, Martial, and Garnacho.
This is a possible attacking formation for Manchester United that includes Antony, Martial, and Garnacho.
Sancho, Rashford, and Garnacho make up Attack 3
A front-three that appears to be a little bit more unconventional compared to the two options that came before it, but it is still a combination that Ten Hag could test out or be forced to use at some point in the future. Although he was brought in to strengthen Manchester United's right wing, Jadon Sancho has been more effective for the club playing on the left side of the field. Because of this, Sancho was not selected to represent England at the World Cup.
Because of the difficulties he has had maintaining his form so far this season, Ten Hag is not currently considering him as one of his top options when it comes to selecting his wide players. However, regardless of whether he chooses to climb the ladder from the right or the left, there are still quite a few gears for him to progress through.
The left side of the field is where Marcus Rashford has been playing some of his best football recently, putting to rest any lingering questions about where he should play. However, even in a dire situation, he is still capable of playing a pivotal role. During the course of this season, he has played there on occasion, and he did not perform poorly while doing so.
This would open the door for Garnacho to join the team on the left side, where he plays best, and begin working his magic.
This is a possible attacking formation for Manchester United that includes Sancho, Rashford, and Garnacho.
This is a possible attacking formation for Manchester United that includes Sancho, Rashford, and Garnacho.
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