Manchester United dropped points for the third Premier League game in a row following a 2-0 defeat against Newcastle United at St James’ Park.
The Red Devils were outclassed by the Magpies on the road and they managed to register just one shot on target over the course of 90 minutes.
Meanwhile, they also struggled defensively against the Tyneside outfit and the margin of defeat could have been bigger if not for David de Gea’s saves.
United now need to refocus for Wednesday’s clash against Brentford at home. Here are three players that could be dropped by manager Erik ten Hag.
Diogo Dalot
The Portuguese has been largely inconsistent with his performances since the World Cup and Aaron Wan-Bissaka has regularly started over him at right-back.
Against the Magpies, Wan-Bissaka was unavailable due to illness. He was a huge miss as Dalot struggled to cope with the pace and trickery of Allan Saint-Maximin.
The 24-year-old won just one duel on the day and lost possession on 13 occasions. If Wan-Bissaka is fit for Wednesday, he should definitely get the nod over Dalot.
Scott McTominay
McTominay started in the number six role yesterday with Casemiro suspended. The Scot was lively early on but lost the midfield battle against Bruno in the second half.
The 26-year-old won only eight out of 19 duels contested against the Magpies. He was partly responsible for the opening goal after getting dispossessed in the lead-up.
Fred should be the natural replacement for the Scot on Wednesday. Casemiro won’t be available for selection until the weekend’s home fixture against Everton.
Wout Weghorst
The Dutchman has been regularly praised by the manager for his high pressing and work rate but a striker’s primary job is to find the back of the net for his club.
He has simply struggled in that aspect. Despite starting 19 games on the bounce for the Red Devils, the 30-year-old has netted just two goals and provided two assists.
With Anthony Martial fully fit after his hip issue, we anticipate him to start over Weghorst in midweek. We believe the latter could be more effective off the bench for United.
