Confirmed XI: Rashford, Amad & Hojlund start against Porto; Ten Hag needs to mastermind a victory over Porto

Manchester United return to UEFA Europa League action on Thursday evening as they travel to Portugal to face FC Porto at the Estádio do Dragão. Erik ten Hag’s side are still undefeated in the Europa League but are also winless – drawing their first match 1-1 with FC Twente.

United need to bounce back from a dismal 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday evening – something that has placed Ten Hag in hot water with suggestions that he should be sacked once again – which is always going to be the case with things like that.

United’s player seem to be rebelling over the playing style Ten Hag seems to want, which is not really working. There are suggestions that Ten Hag has two matches to save his job but that is not something that is going to end if United beat both Porto (Thursday) and Aston Villa (Sunday).

Manchester United

Onana;

Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martinez, Dalot;

Eriksen, Casemiro;

Amad, Fernandes, Rashford;

Hojlund

Substitutes

Bayindir, Heaton; Lindelof, Maguire, Evans; Ugarte, Mainoo, Collyer, Gore; Zirkzee, Garnacho, Antony

FC Porto

Costa;

Mário, Zé Pedro, Pérez, Moura;

Gonzalez, Estaquio, Varela;

Pepê, Samu, Galeno

Substitutes

Ramos, Djalo, Grujic, Vieira, Sousa, Jaime, Namaso, Franco, Gul, Fernandes, Borges, Mora

United are a team that is not performing to the standards set by the manager and the coaching staff or the standards that these players to adhere to whilst wearing the famous red shirt of the club. The brand of football currently being played is dreadful to watch and something needs to give.

Porto, despite their 3-2 defeat to Bodo Glimt in the opening match of the Europa League but their form in Portugal is impeccable which puts them in the driving seat against this disjointed United side who just don’t seem to know the way to success – especially against teams that try against them.

This is likely to be another defeat for United, which in turn will put a other nail in the coffin of Ten Hag, who despite winning the Carabao Cup and Emirates FA Cup in his first two season, has not managed to put his grip onto the team that he has assembled. It has not been good enough!

Written by Paul