8 starts in 10 games: Ruud van Nistelrooy must rest ‘standout’ Man Utd star vs PAOK – opinion | OneFootball

Manchester United will welcome Greek outfit PAOK at Old Trafford in the Europa League tomorrow.

It will be Ruud van Nistelrooy’s penultimate game as interim head coach before Ruben Amorim takes charge.

Van Nistelrooy must aim for three points as United have already drawn all three of their games.

PAOK are not in their best form, having lost two of their last five league games.

We believe Van Nistelrooy needs to field a strong XI but Alejandro Garnacho must start on the bench.

Garnacho has bagged six goals and four assists in 16 outings. Undoubtedly, he is United’s ‘standout’ attacking player.

He has started eight of the last ten games and deserves a much-needed rest.

He has struggled lately and that could be because of his ever-present involvement.

In the last ten games, he has scored twice and assisted once. The drop in productivity is massive and cannot be ignored.

The Red Devils have been wasteful in front of goal with Garnacho at the centre of their finishing struggles.

He squandered two great goal-scoring opportunities in the 2-1 loss to West Ham United.

The 20-year-old struck the bar once and miscued his shot for a second chance.

He put on a disappointing display against Chelsea on Sunday. Bruno Fernandes found him with a clever pass inside the box but he misfired his shot.

He was presented with another opportunity to win the game for United but failed to hit the target.

Frustration has been mounting for the winger, especially when teammates delay passes or misplace through balls meant for him.

Casemiro even gave him a dressing down on the pitch after he failed to track back following a poor loss of possession.

A much-needed breather could be the spark he needs to rediscover his form.

Stats from transfermarkt.com.