Marcus Rashford got the winner after moving roles, Alejandro Garnacho got the clincher off the bench. But Lisandro Martinez underpinned Man United’s improvement at Leeds.
Marcus Rashford’s relocation to the centre forward role is becoming a reinvention. All bar one of his goals prior to the domestic season’s hiatus came from the left flank and he has switched from wingman to frontman to score his last three.
Rashford’s winners have secured a staggering 24 points in the Premier League this season – more than half of United’s 46 points. His positional change at Elland Road was Erik ten Hag’s most decisive on an afternoon his man-management of Alejandro Garnacho paid off.
The most underrated change was the introduction of Lisandro Martinez. Martinez is suspended for the Europa League play-off first leg in Barcelona on Thursday, so Luke Shaw moved inside to centre-back and Tyrell Malacia to get them up to speed for starts in Camp Nou.
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Shaw and Malacia performed capably in those roles and you could understand the rotation, yet United were deprived of arguably the best defender in the world’s most intense league. “Stop playing stupid and slow passes across the back! Same as Wednesday first half!” Gary Neville tweeted.
Martinez is almost as much of an asset in attack as he is in defence. United missed his line-breaking passes that underpin their attack and Harry Maguire, though defensively stable, was so error-prone he was visibly exasperated with himself at one misplaced pass.
Garnacho was introduced at the same time as Martinez yet it was the latter Ten Hag instructed first. United are a more tactically sophisticated side this season, underlined by the experiment of Malacia moving into midfield when they had possession in their own third, and introducing a centre half for a left-back at 0-0 was more attack-minded than defensive.
Shaw returned to the flank and scooped a classy cross for Rashford to nod in the breakthrough. Martinez attempted 34 passes and only four failed to find a teammate during his half-an-hour support role.
Maguire’s pass completion was worse and he only tallied two more progressive passes – defined as passes that travel at least 10 yards and are directed towards the opponent’s goal – in what was only his third 90 minutes in the league in almost six months. Martinez pinged a 40-yard crossfield pass that was featured in Match of the Day 2’s analysis.
Statistics can always be skewed. Nathan Jones, a tone-deaf coach who pontificated about expected goals in bizarre press conferences, was dismissed by Southampton on Sunday morning and is destined to be a pub quiz question; the Premier League manager who failed to obtain a home point. Ten Hag has not mentioned any such killjoy guff while holding court at Carrington and he is presiding over one of the most remarkable turnarounds in European football.
Martinez and Garnacho prepare to come on
It is six months ago today since the debacle at Brentford. That was a generational nadir, never mind a seasonal nadir, for United. Those of us trekking back to Manchester discussed the prospect of a bottom-half finish. Anything felt possible.
Martinez was hooked at half-time that afternoon, a day his height mattered when Ben Mee rose easily to convert a corner. What happened next was season-defining for United: Maguire was dropped against Liverpool and Martinez was retained.
On that balmy night, Martinez was colossal against Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Luis Diaz. Martinez has been one of the signings of the season; a World Cup winner and arguably worthy of world-class status.
Martinez’s bullish presence lifted teammates at Elland Road. Marcel Sabitzer and Fred transgressed so frequently in the first hour Ten Hag was constantly in their ear. With Martinez on, each had a vital role in each goal.
United scored twice in the last 10 minutes
Maguire does not possess an aura comparable with Martinez. They are markedly different personalities, as individuals from Yorkshire and Gualeguay would be, and Ten Hag has imbued the United defence with a Latino personality. Martinez and Raphael Varane is the club’s best defensive partnership since Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.
One teammate privately complained last season his own downturn in form was a consequence of Maguire’s errant positioning. Maguire has coped creditably with a loss of support from some teammates and the fanbase – and his place – to have another fine international tournament. Unlike another demoted figurehead, he has remained professional and committed to United.
“Return is the wrong remark because he played against Reading and he played against Bournemouth and Harry will continue playing many games,” Ten Hag said in the Elland Road press room. “We need that because we are the only team in Europe playing in four competitions.”
Maguire will reassess his future in the summer and United have scribbled his name down on their sell list. He is determined to crown his United career with a trophy and that moment may come as early as next week at Wembley, albeit as a likely substitute.
Martinez will not be on the bench.
