The Europa League forManchester Unitedthis season is about making the best out of a bad situation. A club that feels they belong in the Champions League will hope their stay in the continent’s second tier competition is a brief, season-long one, but for now they will take the positives from Thursday night football.
In the group stage that means blooding youngsters and giving fringe players the opportunity to impress and against FC Astana it was job done forOle Gunnar Solskjaer’sside.
A 1-0 victory over the Kazakhstan champions might not have got the pulses racing amongst a crowd of 50, 000, but there were positives for Solskjaer amidst the toil.
Not only in the wayMason Greenwoodtook his first senior goal, but in the bright performance of Angel Gomes in a creative midfield role and the display of Fred further back, setting the tempo and showing signs he can still be a success a t Old Trafford.
It would still be a surprise if any of those three started against West Ham at the London Stadium, but if Solskjaer has to turn to the bench for game changing options in the capital he might feel more confident than he did a week ago in those options.
Greenwood came off the bench in the first four league games of the campaign but was an unused option against Leicester. But withAnthony Martialstill absent and United’s goalscoring options limited, Solskjaer can now turn to the 17 – year-old with more confidence against his European goal.
It’s creating chances and scoring goals that has remained something of an issue for United this term. They are a side geared to play on the counter attack but when the onus is on United to set the tempo and dictate the play they struggle.
The midfield still lacks creativity. While Nemanja Matic is likely to start and provide some security against the Hammers andScott McTominaycan offer bite and tremendous energy, there isn’t an obvious creator in the center of the pitch.
Against Astana,Gomesshowed he might well have the tools to unlock a deep defense. Doing it in the Premier League is a completely different proposition and the teenager has struggled to even make the bench in the top flight this season, but his display in Europe might convince Solskjaer that he has a role to play in the league this season, especially when finding that creative spark remains a conundrum for the manager to solve.
Of Thursday’s brightest performersFredis perhaps closest to a start in the Premier League, although there remains a suspicion he is better suited to the slower paced European games than he is to the hustle and bustle of the Premier League.
The Brazilian offers something different in United’s midfield, however. He brings more versatility in his play thanMatic, getting United on the front foot quicker and finding passes between the lines that can help break down a defense.
After a disappointing first campaign in Manchester the £ 52 million midfielder faces a big season now. That’s a lot of money to spend on a player who is only seen on the European stage, so the challenge for Fred is to impress domestically as well. He will expect to end the season as a fixture in United’s midfield.
For now he might remain an option from the bench, but after backing up an impressive cameo against Leicester with a good performance against Astana, he might find his opportunities as a game changing substitute beginning to increase.
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