Marcus Rashford Marcos Alonso Luke Shaw Raphael Varane Jules Kounde Manchester France Brazil Barcelona Chelsea Marcus Rashford Marcos Alonso Luke Shaw Raphael Varane Jules Kounde Manchester France Brazil

Erik ten Hag's Raphael Varane claim looked more true than ever in Manchester United vs Barcelona

manchestereveningnews.co.uk

For a brief period of time, it appeared as though Manchester United were going to bring a 2-1 lead back to Old Trafford. When Barcelona defender Jules Kounde put the ball into his own net with 31 minutes left on the clock, there was a feeling that Erik ten Hag's side were about to take the advantage in their Europa League play-off tie with the Catalan giants.

However, Xavi's men, as they have done frequently this term, responded well. It was the home side who took the lead in the 50th minute through former Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso, but United reacted positively and levelled proceedings through the in-form Marcus Rashford.

Things got even better for the Reds - courtesy of French international Kounde - but Raphinha ensured the scoreline was level heading into the second leg. ALSO READ: Man United fans slam officials following Europa League clash vs Barcelona The Reds deserve credit for how they approached the game, and Casemiro - not for the first time this campaign - showed why United were willing to spend £70m on a 30-year-old in the summer.

The Brazilian midfielder was superb against Barcelona. He is exactly the type of player, and character, that United have been crying out for in recent years.

Related News
Erik ten Hag has defended Bruno Fernandes following criticism of his controversial perfomance during Manchester United's 7-0 defeat to Liverpool last weekend. Fernandes appeared to push a referee’s assistant in the closing stages of the match at Anfield, and cut a frustrated figure for much of the second-half as his team shipped an astonishing six goals. Ad Fernandes was also criticised for appearing to question the decision to substitute Marcus Rashford in the 85th minute, and there were calls from some that the Portuguese should be stripped of his captain's armband as a result.
It will be fascinating to see what type of response Manchester United give when they return to action tomorrow night against Real Betis.
Looking back now it is tempting to see Manchester United's humblings at the hands of Brentford and Manchester City as staging posts in the evolution of Erik ten Hag's team.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag was rightfully angered by his players during that demolition against Liverpool as the Dutchman contemplates whether to stick or twist when the push for European glory resumes on Thursday night at Old Trafford.
The narrative ahead of Manchester United's return to Anfield after last season's humiliation was about how much had changed. This was a team of leaders, led by a magnificent manager, with threats all over the pitch.
It would have needed the most optimistic of Manchester United fans to have predicted such a transformation under Erik ten Hag, but Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has always been of the Dutchman's quality from his time at Ajax.

Latest News

Change privacy settings
This page might use cookies if your analytics vendor requires them.