It has been a season to forget for Manchester United. After a initial promising spell under new manager Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer, the Red Devils completely lost their radar during the final phase of the campaign.
The Red Devils ended up finishing sixth in the league. But in a season full of calamities, here are three players who managed to impress.
Marcus Rashford
With star forward Romelu Lukaku struggling to find the back of the net on a consistent basis, Marcus Rashford’s incredible scoring run earlier this year played a critical role in kickstarting Solskjaer’s era on a promising start.
The young English international ended the season netting 10 goals in the Premier League while mustering seven assists – making him much more productive than any other United attacker this season.
That said, Rashford didn’t score in any of his last six league matches, during which United won just once. Hence, it’s probably fair to say that the Red Devils have appeared overreliant on Rashford and it will be interesting to see how they plan to utilise the 21-year-old next season.
Paul Pogba
After a disastrous start to the campaign under Jose Mourinho, Paul Pogba turned out to be a revelation under Solskjaer. The Frenchman was given much more freedom by the Swede, which allowed him to become more expressive in the final third.
As a result, Pogba finished as United’s top scorer with 13 league goals and also the highest chance creator, providing nine assists. Post Solskjaer’s arrival in December, he was involved in 13 goals in nine straight league games, boosting the morale of everyone else in the United camp.
Although there have been a few inconsistent displays along the way, especially during the final phase of the campaign, the fact that Pogba was able to come up with those displays augurs well for next season when Ole can formulate an approach which will best suit the team.
Victor Lindelof
Prior to the season, the defence was seen as a weakness for Manchester United with former coach Jose Mourinho trying his best to convince the board to make a big name signing at the back. And while lack of defensive solidity did see the Red Devils struggle against quality opposition, the frailties were, to an extent, minimised by Victor Lindelof’s consistent displays.
The Swede has seen himself become a regular fixture in United’s starting lineup this season, making 30 league appearances. His excellent positioning and ability to read the game has somewhat added a little stability to the United backline which would have fallen apart in his absence.
But, for the large part of the campaign, Lindelof always lacked the presence of a reliable defensive companion. And with United likely to sign a new centre-back in the upcoming summer transfer window, it will be interesting to see how Lindelof’s playing career shapes here onwards.
