Manchester United fans were in agreement that one player stood out above the rest in the goalless draw against Aston Villa.
All eyes were on Erik ten Hag as Manchester United faced Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon with a defeat likely meaning he would be sacked as manager.
However, Ten Hag managed to avoid defeat by securing a fourth draw in the last five games. Whether that is enough to keep the Dutchman in his job is now down to United’s hierarchy – who were present at Villa Park.
There was not much to shout about in United’s performance, but the Red Devils did control possession against Villa and limited the hosts to very few chances.
Sunday’s draw means United are now 14th in the Premier League table after taking eight points from their opening seven games of the season.
Man United fans name Man of the Match
The draw against Villa was almost the exact opposite of the action-packed 3-3 draw to Porto.
United were solid at the back and controlled possession but were blunt up front when trying to break Villa down.
It was a resilient and spirited display, but once again wasn’t enough to earn United a much-needed three points.
Ten Hag was full of praise for three United forwards after the full-time whistle, but Jonny Evans was the real star of the show.
Eyebrows were raised when Ten Hag chose to start Harry Maguire and Evans at centre-back instead of Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez.
But after impressing in their substitute cameos against Porto, Ten Hag made the changes at the back and they paid off.
Manchester United fans have now had their say by voting for their Man of the Match via the club’s official website.
The results are in and Evans dominated the voting with a whopping 57 percent of votes. Andre Onana ranked second with 14 percent while Bruno Fernandes ranked third with five percent.
Jonny Evans still has a part to play
When asked why Evans and Maguire started at Villa Park, Ten Hag insisted his decision was because he wanted to rotate the side.
It turned out to be a genius move by the Dutchman, and Evans in particular was a real surprise package.
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After signing De Ligt and Leny Yoro this summer – and with Martinez returning to fitness – there was an expectation that Evans would drop to the bottom of the centre-back pecking order.
But he has impressed once again this season and was superb against Villa, which suggests he still has a part to play for United this season in what will be a congested calendar.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/fKHcTmz