Ten Hag must bench Garnacho and unleash Man Utd's "complete' star
Ten Hag must bench Garnacho and unleash Man Utd’s “complete’ star
Manchester United are back in action once again in the Premier League as they prepare to travel to Selhurst Park to take on Crystal Palace this evening.
The Red Devils make the trip down to London to take on The Eagles in the hope of moving back up to sixth in the league table, after Newcastle United’s win on Saturday.
Erik ten Hag’s side are currently seventh in the division, two points adrift of sixth, and picking up all three points in the game tonight would see them return to the top six.
United head into this match off the back of a disappointing 1-1 draw with relegation-threatened Burnley at Old Trafford last time out in the Premier League.
The Clarets, who lost 4-1 to Newcastle on Saturday, held ten Hag’s men to a draw and the Red Devils should now be looking to bounce back with a win against Palace.
United’s manager could make some alterations to the starting XI from the draw with Burnley in the hope of improving the performance and result against Oliver Glasner’s side.
With this in mind, ten Hag must finally unleash attacking midfielder Mason Mount from the start to play alongside Bruno Fernandes in attack.
The player to be dropped for Mason Mount
The Dutch tactician will need to remove one of the players from his starting XI in order to make room for the England international to return to the team against Palace.
Winger Alejandro Garnacho could be dropped down to the bench in order to provide Mount with a chance to start on the left of the attacking midfield trio, with Fernandes in the middle and Antony on the right.
The Argentina international has produced zero goals and one assist in his last five appearances in all competitions, with that assist coming in the 4-2 win over now-relegated Sheffield United.
His lack of production in the final third could not be blamed on his teammates, however, as Garnacho also missed four ‘big chances’ in those five games, which shows that his fellow attackers did create high-quality chances for him to find the back of the net.
The talented gem’s lack of form should not come as a total surprise, though, as the 19-year-old starlet is still in his formative years as a professional and should not be expected to be consistently impressive throughout the entire season.
As you can see in the table, he has provided quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals at times on the wing and has had a fantastic campaign so far, given his age.
His recent form, though, suggests that tonight’s clash with Palace could be the ideal time to drop him to the bench in order to provide Mount with an opportunity to shine.
What Mason Mount could bring to the team
The former Chelsea star has had his first season with the club disrupted by injuries, with 27 competitive matches missed through an unknown issue and a calf injury.
He has already missed more games through injury this term than he did in his four full first-team campaigns with the Blues between the 2019/20 and 2022/23 campaigns (19).
These issues have restricted him to just 13 appearances and four starts in the Premier League for United, with his most recent start coming against Luton in November 2023.
Mount, whose last goal for the club came against Brentford at the end of March, has not had enough time to showcase the best of his ability in a red shirt.
Last season, the 25-year-old whiz made 20 starts in the Premier League for Chelsea and displayed his quality as a progressive passer and a creative talent.
He ranked within the top 16% of midfielders in the division for Expected Assisted Goals per 90 (0.26), the top 37% for progressive passes per 90 (5.35), and the top 16% for progressive carries per 90 (2.62).
Mount, who was once hailed as “complete” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has the quality, on his day, to be a forward-thinking midfielder who can pick the ball up in pockets of space on the half-turn to face the opposition goal and find his teammates in dangerous positions.
The 5 foot 11 maestro, who once produced 11 goals and ten assists in 27 starts during the 2021/22 Premier League campaign, could be an exciting player to watch alongside Fernandes in the final third if he can get back to his best form.
By finally unleashing him from the start for the first time since November, ten Hag could help Mount to build his match sharpness back up against Palace tonight, which is why he should come in to replace Garnacho.
Bruno Fernandes’ Premier League form this season
The England international could be fun to watch next to Fernandes against the Eagles as the Portuguese sensation has the creative quality to potentially put on a masterclass.
Mount has the progressive passing and carrying quality to consistently find the former Sporting star in dangerous positions at the top end of the pitch this evening, which could allow the attacking midfielder to showcase the best of his passing quality in the final third.
The Portugal international, who could be fit to face the Eagles despite suffering from a wrist injury, has been in fantastic form in the Premier League so far this season, with a staggering 20 ‘big chances’ created in 33 appearances so far.
His creative ability in midfield could also help Mount to thrive, and vice versa, as he could create high-quality chances for the English star to get back to his goalscoring best.
The former Blues ace scored three league goals last season but his teammates only created 2.0 xG worth of chances and he did not miss a single ‘big chance’, which suggests that he could get back on the goal trail with Fernandes providing him with quality opportunities.
As you can see in the table above, Fernandes has produced consistent quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals in the number ten position.
Now, imagine him and Mount playing alongside each other at the peak of their powers, scoring and creating goals to cause havoc to opposition defenders, starting with tonight’s game against Palace.