Man United star simply has to start vs Aston Villa, Erik ten Hag has no excuses | OneFootball

Manchester United visit Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday.

The Red Devils are winless in the last four outings in all competitions and face another stern challenge against Villa, who beat Bayern Munich in the Champions League in midweek.

Manager Erik ten Hag is bound to make some changes from the 3-3 Europa League draw against Porto, and Alejandro Garnacho should be one of the first names in the line-up.

Garnacho has been in and out of the team this season. The Dutchman has often preferred to play Marcus Rashford on the left wing with Amad Diallo on the opposite flank.

It was a similar story at the Estadio do Dragao last night. The manager made a surprise decision to substitute Rashford for Garnacho at the break despite him being the best player versus Porto.

When asked for a reason, Ten Hag said that he wanted to rotate his options and highlighted that Garnacho was his ‘best player‘ against Tottenham Hotspur and in many other games.

The 54-year-old should stick with his best wide attacking combination in Rashford and Garnacho on Sunday. Amad Diallo should instead drop to the bench.

Diallo completed 100 percent of his passes and created three chances against Porto. However, he was hardly involved in the final third, with just one shot which was blocked.

The Ivorian had only two touches in the opposition box. By contrast, Garnacho had eight attempts on goal last night with two on target, two off target and four blocked.

The £42 million-rated star had eight touches in the opposition box – the same as Rashford. The Argentine also indirectly contributed to the late equaliser in stoppage time.

His long-range shot was saved by Diogo Costa, but the resultant corner led to Harry Maguire’s goal.

United need risk-takers in the final third. Rashford should be an assured starter on the left wing on Sunday after contributing a goal and an assist against Porto.

Garnacho did not score, but he showed the intention to do so, which Diallo lacked. It seems a no-brainer decision to play him on the right side of the attack.

United have looked defensively vulnerable during the early part of the campaign. Their best chance of winning at Villa Park could be to outscore the home side, which they did last season.

The Red Devils came from two goals down to beat Villa 3-2 at Old Trafford. Garnacho was the standout player with a brace. United won 2-1 at Villa Park after a late Scott McTominay winner.

Sunday’s game appears a must-win for United. The club are already six points adrift of the top four. Anything other than a victory could lead to Ten Hag’s exit from the club.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Fotmob.com.