"He was causing the team more harm than good" - Paul Scholes flames 2 Manchester United superstars after 1-0 Newcastle loss
Manchester United icon Paul Scholes slammed Marcus Rashord and Bruno Fernandes after they struggled to make an impact against Newcastle United. The Red Devils' poor run of form continued as they fell to a 1-0 defeat at St. James' Park on Saturday, December 3.
The Magpies dominated large parts of the game and deservedly broke the deadlock in the 55th minute courty of an Anthony Gordon tap-in. Erik ten Hag and Co. failed to gain control in the game, losing their sixth Premier League game of the season. Manchester United are now seventh in the table with 24 points from 14 games.
Scholes blasted Rashford for sulking after he was subbed off in the 61st minute for Antony. He said (via METRO):
"What is he[Marcus Rashford] surprised about? I don’t get it. What is he thinking he should still be on the pitch for? He was causing the team more harm than good. Marcus last year was brilliant and he’s got ability, there is no doubt about that. But when you decide to walk back like was, and he comes off and behaves like that, I do not think it’s good for the team."
He added:
"And he’s one of the most experienced players now. He’s a player that players look up to. Mainoo looks up to him. Garnacho looks up to him."
Scholes also criticized Fernandes for being tactically naive and drifting into the wrong areas:
"Bruno is another one. Look, he’s got fantastic ability, he can score a goal and make a goal, but I would love to be in the dressing room before a game and see what the manager is asking him to do."
"What position is he asking him to play? Where are you supposed to be on the football pitch? I see him as a No.10, it’s his best position as he can play a pass and he can get a goal."
He added:
"Where was he tonight? He was never in that position. I see him on the left, the right, sometimes he is the deepest Manchester United player, getting the goal off the goalkeeper. I don’t think that is healthy for the team. It upsets the formation and it upsets the way of playing. We don’t know, the manager might be telling him to do it, but it looks like he goes out and does what he wants on the field."
Rashford had a night to forget, completing just 11 out of his 17 passes with an accuracy of 65%. He also recorded zero accurate crosses, lost four of his five duels, and failed to land any shots on goal.
Fernandes wasn't impressive either, losing eight of the 11 duels he contested. The Manchester United skipper was also dispossessed twice, completed none of his two crosses, and completed just one successful dribble from three attempts.
How did Manchester United fare against Newcastle United?
Manchester United were convincingly defeated 1-0 by Newcastle United on Saturday. The scoreline did little to justify how the game actually transpired so let's take a look at the stats to see how both teams performed.
The Magpies dominated possession with 58 percent of the ball. They also attempted a total of 522 passes with an accuracy of 83 percent. In contrast, Manchester United had 42 percent possession and attempted 366 passes with an accuracy of 76 percent.
The Magpies looked much more threatening up front as well, landing a total of 22 shots, with four being on target. On the other hand, Manchester United failed to get into the game at all and had just eight shots in total, landing just one on target.