Life after Cristiano Ronaldo started comfortably enough for Manchester United at Old Trafford on Tuesday night thanks to goals from Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Fred.
But longer term, the departure of the iconic superstar poses more questions than were answered, especially given recent revelations about Erik ten Hag’s spending power – or lack of it – in next month’s transfer window.
The shock loss of rising Dutch star Cody Gakpo to Liverpool, announced on Monday, was an embarrassment to Ten Hag and United.
The World Cup star is more of a winger than an orthodox striker but, still, his eye for goal had him high on Ten Hag’s wanted list next month – until it became apparent that United have no money to invest.
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Ten Hag calls for quality striker in January as Liverpool hijack Cody Gakpo deal27 December, 2022The attempt by the Glazers to sell the club has put player investment on hold for the time being, meaning even a loan move for Joao Felix is out of the question because of Atletico Madrid fee demands.
Instead, Ten Hag’s only hope will be to shop in the same sort of loan, short-term pool that has seen the likes of Edinson Cavani, Odion Ighalo and Radamel Falcao sign for the club in recent years.
Further back, Henrik Larsson was another such signing by Sir Alex Ferguson, one of a group of players who had varying degrees of success with the club.
That made Ten Hag’s pre-match declaration that Rashford should be scoring 20 league goals a season all the more telling – and challenging, given that he had scored only four times before last night.
But Rashford has returned from his three-goal performance for England at the World Cup in high confidence and showed it by scoring a superb solo effort in last week’s EFL Cup win over Burnley.
Back on the league front, for the first time since mid-November, Rashford maintained that form with a superbly-worked 19th minute opening goal.
Analysis: Antony is still baffling fans and team-mates
By i‘s chief football writer Daniel Storey
It’s clearly going to take some time to settle, and Antony doesn’t turn 23 until February, but when you spend £84m on a 22-year-old you do expect him to be a little less rough around the edges than this. That shouldn’t be interpreted as pure criticism – it’s very interesting to watch this street footballer grow accustomed to this new environment.
We consider unpredictability to be an asset in attacking players, but there comes a tipping point. Sometimes you get the impression that Antony’s team-mates aren’t quite sure what he’s going to do next. Sometimes it is beating a defender and producing a cross, other times it’s a shot from 35 yards that leaves those around him raising their eyebrows as if to ask if he’d even thought of passing.
Erik ten Hag has a quandary with his wingers. Antony is still learning, Jadon Sancho, we are told, needs time to get himself ready to play competitive football, Anthony Elanga is raw and Marcus Rashford is going to have to play as the centre forward if a better option isn’t found in January. Ten Hag could really do with the second most expensive signing in the club’s history beginning a run during which he produces consistently to pull United into the top four.
Read Daniel Storey’s verdict on all 20 Premier League clubs every week, The Score, by clicking here
It came from a precise Christian Eriksen corner, delivered to the penalty spot where Rashford had slipped his marker, met the ball and swept a brilliant finish past Forest keeper Wayne Hennessey.
The Welsh international, sent off in costly fashion against Iran in Qatar, was making his Premier League debut for Forest, in place of United loanee Dean Henderson who could not face his parent club.
How keen Steve Cooper will be to hand him his second start remains to be seen after Hennessey’s role in United’s second goal just three minutes later.
Again, Rashford was instrumental as he chased Casemiro’s long ball down the left flank, outpacing the defence before cutting in and picking out Martial just inside the area.
The Frenchman sent an accurate shot heading towards goal but, even allowing for torrential conditions, Hennessey should have done considerably more than help the ball into his goal with an outstretched palm.
Martial’s form and fitness is going to be another vital part of the jigsaw puzzle Ten Hag will have to piece together over the remainder of the season, given his lack of attacking options.
It is three seasons since Martial, 27, scored 17 times in the Premier League – the two-and-a-half years since have seen him play 35 games for United and score just eight times in the league for United.
If Martial and Rashford can, jointly, re-discover their peak goal productivity then hopes of a top four finish may not be undone by the lack of a new body next month.
Without that, Ten Hag may struggle to coax enough goals out of a squad that has Martial as its only orthodox forward – and that may spell trouble.
It almost did on Tuesday, with Forest unlucky to have a 40th minute “goal” ruled out for a marginal offside decision against Willy Boly.
But thereafter, it was a familiar story for Ten Hag, with United unable to convert possession and chances into goals.
Full-back Tyrell Malacia was unlucky with an early attempt that Hennessey kicked onto his post and Antony missed with a curling effort and was then denied by the Forest keeper one-on-one, early in the second half.
Martial, Rashford and Casemiro all gave Hennessey the chance to redeem himself, which the Forest keeper did before Casemiro’s interception and superb through ball allowed Fred to complete the scoring in the 86th minute, from eight yards.
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