On Sunday, Manchester United will welcome Liverpool to Old Trafford for the second time this season.
The aim for Erik ten Hag’s team is to remain unbeaten against Jurgen Klopp’s side this season, with a 0-0 draw earlier in the season being their first point at Anfield since 2021.
Recently, the Red Devils also defeated their arch-rival in the FA Cup with an astounding 4-3 victory, and the boss will look to repeat that performance.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at which player Ten Hag should bring back into the starting eleven, as well as Marcus Rashford, who starred versus the Reds in the FA Cup victory.
Marcus Rashford’s performance against Liverpool
Rashford’s season has followed a very similar trend to the United's as a whole, with positive steps often followed by underperformance.
Despite the United number ten scoring seven goals and providing two assists in the Premier League this season, he’s still been under immense scrutiny, partly due to the fact that everyone knows how incredible he can be.
However, that wasn’t the case versus Liverpool in March, with Rashford playing with confidence, creativity, and purpose, as shown by his goal, five key passes, and four shots.
The England international dropped to the bench against Chelsea in the week, but he must return to the side this weekend with a view to repeating his heroics from last time out.
Why Scott McTominay must return to the side
Scott McTominay is the definition of a marmite player; his match-defining moments make him adored, while some fans simply can’t look past his lack of influence on the whole.
There’s no doubting that the Scotland international has been an important player for the Red Devils this season, with his seven Premier League goals proving that alone, but do the goals justify him starting frequently?
The main issue surrounding the midfielder is simply his lack of presence in the middle of the park, especially on the ball, as he only averages 15.9 passes per game with an accuracy of 81%.
McTominay also doesn’t offer a lot from an out-of-possession perspective either, making 0.4 interceptions and just 1.6 tackles per game, which, compared to Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister’s 1.2 and 2.8, for example, is poor.
Goals
1
Assists
1
Pass accuracy
76%
Key passes
2
Successful dribbles
2/3
Tackles
2
Duels won
10
Clearances
4
Dribbled past
0
However, as you can see from the table above, McTominay certainly impacted the game during the last meeting, with his work rate and desire to win on show for all.
Although he only had a pass accuracy of 76%, Man Utd’s approach wasn’t to keep the ball; instead, it was to hit the visitors on the break.
This is how McTominay got the opener for the Red Devils, tapping home into an open net after driving forward to follow in a shot.
Furthermore, the midfield of Liverpool really struggled to cope with the 27-year-old’s physicality and athleticism from minute one, as shown by McTominay’s duels won and successful dribbles, with even former United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer calling him a “physical monster.”
The number 39’s engine also allowed him to play for the full 120 minutes, despite showing support to the attack and defence throughout, with his defensive stats and his assist for Rashford’s equaliser serving as evidence for that.
Overall, McTominay’s and Rashford’s performances against Liverpool were arguably their best in a United shirt this season, and from Ten Hag’s point of view, don’t change what’s not broken.
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