Three Manchester United players were made to look better vs Leeds

The stock of three Man Utd players who did not start against Leeds in the Premier League on Monday night has risen.

Harry Maguire was unavailable to face Leeds due to a suspension, Kobbie Mainoo was ruled out with a small injury picked up in training and Diogo Dalot was named on the bench.

Despite not being named in the starting XI for various reasons, the trio’s stock has risen following Monday’s defeat to Leeds, as those who took their places did not cover themselves in glory at Old Trafford.

Lisandro Martinez came into the side for Maguire and looked rusty after a two-month lay-off. The defender was at fault for Leeds’ second goal, attempting to play out from the back when it was never on, and was shown a red for yanking Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair.

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Without Maguire on the pitch, Calvert-Lewin sensed an opportunity to bully Martinez and Leny Yoro, and both of United’s centre-backs struggled to deal with the striker’s physicality throughout the game.

The defeat showed why it was so important to tie Maguire down to a new deal. When he starts, he assumes the bulk of the responsibility for the dirty work at the back, and Yoro suffered from not playing alongside him.

When asked whether it helped playing alongside Maguire, Yoro recently said: “Of course, with all the experiences he has, he gave a lot of tips, he spoke to me a lot on the pitch, so this helped me a lot.

“He always speaks with me, sometimes he speaks before the game, or at half time, about positioning as well, so playing with him is really good for me. We speak a lot. Even before the game, during the week, we speak a lot about the opponent.”

United’s backline would have been bullied more often next season if Maguire hadn’t been given a new contract, and you can make a strong argument that the 33-year-old is still the best defender in the dressing room.

Dalot is not as popular among supporters as Maguire, but Noussair Mazraoui’s performance against Leeds painted him in a more favourable light. Although Dalot has copped a lot of flak at times, he’s a consistent performer as a right-back.

The Portugal international’s loss of form came when Ruben Amorim was chopping and changing his position, alternating between playing him as a left-wing-back and a right-wing-back.

Dalot is at his best when he plays as a traditional right-back and should return to the starting XI this weekend against Chelsea, as Mazraoui did not look comfortable in that position against Leeds.

Mazraoui lost the majority of his individual duels and was sloppy in possession. It was just the second time this season that he’d started as a right-back after spending the first half of the campaign playing as a right-sided centre-back in Amorim’s system.

Another disappointing aspect of Mazraoui’s performance was the lack of contribution down the wing. He offered close to nothing, which meant Amad had the task of creating something on that side on his own.

Dalot at least attempts to play crosses into the box and contribute in the final third. The Portugal international’s final ball could be improved, but the odd cross into the penalty area from the right is better than none.

Mainoo was a big miss against Leeds. Ugarte failed to stop the cross for Leeds’ opening goal, and United fans got on his back, groaning when he stood on the ball for too long as his teammates tried to build up.

There were further groans from the terraces when Ugarte butchered a through ball to Luke Shaw into the box. It was the kind of pass that Mainoo makes look easy, but which takes a highly skilled midfielder to play.

The weakest part of Ugarte’s game is undoubtedly his ball distribution, which is why he’s failed to cut it in the Premier League. Ugarte had more time on the ball in Europe, so that part of his game was not exposed, but he struggles to play passes between the lines under pressure.

Carrick still defended him during his post-match press conference. When asked if Ugarte’s form was a concern, he said: “No, no, I think when he’s played since I’ve been here… Whatever has gone on before has gone on before and it’s not for me to comment on that.

“Since I’ve come in, and he’s played and come on, he’s been fine. I think tonight was a tough game, not just for Manu. It was one of those games when it was a tough night. I actually thought, especially when we went down to 10 men, that he did a lot of covering for other players to be able to attack.”

Mainoo will start over Ugarte this weekend if he’s fit enough. Actions speak louder than words.

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