October 24th 2024.
After the Europa League draw, Owen Hargreaves shared his thoughts on the match. He believes that Erik ten Hag, the coach of Manchester United's opponent Fenerbahce, may have been concerned about Rasmus Hojlund's workload. This was evident as the Danish forward, who had scored a brilliant goal in their last Premier League game, was surprisingly benched in their clash against Fenerbahce.
To everyone's surprise, Joshua Zirkzee started in place of Hojlund and even though he played a role in Christian Eriksen's goal, it wasn't a successful move for Manchester United. Eventually, Hojlund was brought in as a substitute in the second half, but by then Fenerbahce had already scored an equalizer through Youssef En-Nesyri. The match ended in a 1-1 draw with no further goals.
Both Hargreaves and fellow Old Trafford legend Paul Scholes were taken aback by Hojlund's benching and also believed that Casemiro should have been in the starting lineup. They understood that the busy schedule may have played a role in Ten Hag's decision, as Manchester United had a game against West Ham on Sunday. However, Scholes pointed out that United couldn't afford to rest their key players so freely, as they needed to win games.
Hojlund, who had missed the start of the season due to injury, has been an important player for Manchester United in their last seven games. However, since his move from Atalanta, he has scored 18 goals in 50 appearances for the club. TNT Sport co-commentator Robbie Savage, who watched the match from the stands, felt that the 1-1 draw was a fair result for both teams.
Fenerbahce had a penalty appeal turned down shortly after equalizing, which led to a furious outburst from Jose Mourinho. The Manchester United manager was shown a red card and sent to the stands for his behavior. Savage felt that Fenerbahce were the better team in the first half, but Manchester United's counter-attacking goal changed the dynamics of the game. However, he also acknowledged that Fenerbahce didn't create many opportunities in the second half.
Next, Manchester United will face West Ham, who have had a tough start to the season with just two wins in their first eight league games. They were also thrashed 4-1 by Tottenham in their last outing. It will be an important game for Manchester United, who will be looking to improve their form and secure a victory.
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