Paul Scholes clearly hasn’t been impressed with some of Manchester United’s big guns lately.
The United legend was on punditry duty for BT Sport’s coverage of United’s 2-0 victory over Bournemouth on Wednesday and, although it was a comfortable performance for Jose Mourinho’s men on the night, Scholes took the opportunity to offer his assessment of how some of the star players have performed of late.
Having already criticised Paul Pogba for ‘disrespecting’ Mourinho with a poor performance against West Brom on Sunday, Scholes then turned on Alexis Sanchez.
“I’d go Rashford and Martial (on Saturday),” Scholes said.
“I just don’t think his (Sanchez) form has been good enough. We all know the talent he’s got but at United he’s just not showing it yet. Martial and Rashford are a better option.”
“I think Sanchez has been quite predictable – we all know the talent he’s got. Obviously there is a magnificent player in there but at Man United he’s just not showing it yet.”
Scholes is right. While Sanchez has offered flashes of his quality, he’s been a letdown overall. Beyond his own struggles, many have pointed out that Mourinho’s continual inclusion of Sanchez in the line-up has hindered the progress of Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford, two of United’s brightest young talents who were tipped for big futures at Old Trafford before Sanchez signed.
Now, there is intense speculation surrounding Martial and Rashford.
Mourinho shuffled his attacking pack for the visit to Vitality Stadium on Wednesday, Martial, Rashford and Jesse Lingard in a front three, with Romelu Lukaku and Sanchez dropping to the bench.
Although some would perceive those changes as Mourinho resting Lukaku and Sanchez for the semi-final at Wembley, the United boss confirmed that he had been forced to drop some of his under-performing players after the defeat to West Brom.
Just gonna say it. The Alexis Sanchez signing has been a disaster so far. He's not performing anywhere near his capability and in the process it's destroyed Martial, Pogba, Rashford and Lingard
— Mark Goldbridge (@markgoldbridge) April 16, 2018
With Lukaku coming to net his 27th goal of the season and wrap up the points at Bournemouth, his inclusion in Saturday’s starting line-up seems a safe bet.
The rest, however, is tougher to predict.
While Sanchez has failed to sparkle since his arrival from Arsenal in January, there is a strong case for him to start against Spurs. The Chile international didn’t enjoy his finest game against West Brom but was the creative spark in the comeback win over City and boasts an exceptional record at Wembley, with seven goals in as many games.
Assuming Mourinho will continue with his 4-3-3, that leaves one starting berth up for grabs, with Rashford, Martial, Lingard and Mata all vying for it.
Of course, United fans will be equally as concerned about the strength of the midfield. In their last trip to Wembley, Spurs turned United over, winning 2-0 and dominating matters in the middle of the park.
That day, Mourinho went with a 4-2-3-1, with Nemanja Matic and Pogba the deepest two in midfield. It seems unlikely that the coach will go with that structure this time around, so it’s reasonable to expect a midfield trio of Pogba, Matic – who was rested at Bournemouth – and Ander Herrera.
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