It ended all square on the final matchday of the Champions League group stage at Old Trafford on Wednesday. Ralf Rangnick’s Manchester United side drew 1-1 vs Swiss side Young Boys. It was a game where the new boss utilised his squad, making 11 changes to the lineup from Sunday’s victory against Palace.
An early acrobatic goal from Mason Greenwood got the Reds off the mark however, Fabian Rieder levelled things up through a fantastic strike before half time.
A sloppy performance all round from United meant Rangnick’s men failed to capitalise on good opportunities. Juan Mata and Anthony Elanga both had their efforts saved by the Young Boys goalkeeper Guillaume Faivre.
On the performance, the German said: “We were too deep, we sent several pressing invitations including the goal we conceded.”
As United dropped off in the second half, David Wagner’s side enjoyed a fair share of possession, but failed to find a breakthrough.
Manchester United player ratings
Dean Henderson – 6
In the goalkeepers 68 minutes on the pitch, Henderson showed glimpses of his sweeping ability, but for Fabian Reider’s goal, the 24-year-old stood no chance.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 2
With Diogo Dalot impressing in his last two outings, Aaron Wan-Bissaka put up a performance he’ll want to forget. The full-back was poor in possession and in positional play with it being quite clear that Wan-Bissaka does not feel comfortable with a ball at his feet.
Eric Bailly – 6
On a rare start for United’s number three, Bailly was one of the better performers on the night. Whether he is good enough to start for United on a regular basis still begs the question. One thing for sure is, Bailly’s recovery pace is excellent and helped out fellow centre-back Nemanja Matic hugely. The Ivorian also got in the way of some goal-bound efforts.
Nemanja Matic – 4
Playing out of his more familiar defensive midfield role. The Young Boys forwards failed to challenge Matic. However, he was another one of United’s players who gave the ball a lot with the Serbian involved in a few mix-ups in the second half.
Luke Shaw – 6
Shaw made a few of his trademark runs down the left-hand side in the first half. The left-back linked well with teenager Anthony Elanga and got the assist for Mason Greenwood’s goal. With Alex Telles not making anywhere near the impact Dalot has in previous games, seeing Shaw back in the line-up vs Norwich would not come as a surprise to anyone.
Donny Van de Beek – 5
It’s safe to say the Dutchman didn’t grasp his opportunity as the midfielder was at fault vs Young Boys for the equaliser and failed to get any rhythm going in a deeper role.
Juan Mata – 3
The Spaniard had a torrid time throughout. Mata was outrun by Young Boys’ midfielders Martins Pereira and Aebischer. The Spaniard failed to gain a foothold in the game, along with his distribution being inconsistent.
Amad – 4
Although the former Atalanta man was lively, it seemed as though Amad was trying too hard to impress the new boss. An opportunity towards the end of the first half went begging, as he failed to setup the oncoming Jesse Lingard.
Jesse Lingard – 3
With a lot of talk pre-match about Jesse Lingard thriving in Rangnick’s system, the 28-year-old rarely got into the game. The attacking midfielder came off in the 89th minute for debutant Zidane Iqbal. Lingard, like other experienced players, failed to take their opportunity. A move away from the club within the next 12-months looks likely.
Mason Greenwood – 7
On a wet and windy night at Old Trafford, Mason Greenwood was probably the bright spark. A fantastic opening goal saw Greenwood playing with his tail up, leading the press and winning possession high up. If there was anyone who should be starting vs Norwich on Saturday, it’s the 20-year-old.
Anthony Elanga – 5
Early on, the Sweden under-21 international linked well with Luke Shaw, although he failed to kick on from this. The 19-year-old found himself left isolated in the second half up against the Young Boys centre-backs.
Teden Mengi – 4
United’s number 43 was given 30-minutes by Rangnick, as he came onto replace Luke Shaw on the hour mark. There were signs where it was clear Mengi was not used to playing at left-back. The young Englishman did deal with one-on-one situations well.
Tom Heaton – 3
The 35-year-old was brought on for his Manchester United debut 20-years after first signing for the club. In just over 20-minutes between the stick, Heaton wasn’t called upon.
