Manchester United defeated Nottingham Forest 2-0 in midweek to seal a place in the Carabao Cup final, leaving them just one step away from lifting a first trophy since Jose Mourinho led them to Europa League glory back in 2017.
Erik ten Hag will be hoping to end the Red Devils’ six-year trophy drought and continue his impressive rejuvenation at the club, with that hopefully being just the first of many pieces of silverware coming to Old Trafford under the 53-year-old.
Despite the straightforward victory, there were a few players who underperformed against Forest in midweek. Alejandro Garnacho was given a rare start but failed to take his chance to impress, succeeding with just two dribble attempts and taking only one shot as he recorded the team’s joint-lowest Sofascore rating.
However, it was January signing Wout Weghorst who was perhaps the poorest United player on the night, and Ten Hag should consider ditching him against Crystal Palace today.
United signed the Dutchman on a six-month loan from Burnley during the January transfer window, and the move was surprising to say the least, echoing that of the deal to sign Odion Ighalo on loan until the end of the 2019/20 season.
The 30-year-old has hardly set the world alight during his first five appearances for the Red Devils, scoring just once, despite netting nine goals for Besiktas during the first half of the campaign.
The £40k-per-week frontman was statistically United’s worst performer during the second leg against Forest, earning a rating of just 6.4/10 via Sofascore.
During his 63 minutes on the pitch, he had just one shot (which was blocked), missed a big chance and hit the woodwork, all while taking just 16 touches as he couldn’t get himself into the game.
The Dutchman lost possession three times, was also dribbled past once and won only four duels from nine. It was a night to forget for him, and one former United captain didn’t hold back when it came to analysing his performance after the game…
Roy Keane was offering his post-match thoughts on Sky Sports (via The Sun) regarding Weghorst’s miss after he headed against the post when it seemed easier to score, saying: “He has to score, I don’t know what he was thinking. He was brought in for his aerial ability.”
Ten Hag faces a big decision ahead of today’s clash against Palace, and with the 30-year-old struggling, the manager may have to make a few changes in personnel. Dropping Weghorst should be one of them.
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