Erik ten Hag made a huge error by starting Anthony Martial against Bournemouth – Man United News And Transfer News

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Manchester United succumbed to their 11th defeat of the season and the first-ever at Old Trafford against Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday.

The 0-3 scoreline was the fourth time United have conceded three goals at Old Trafford this season, a stat reflective of the current dismal campaign.

Manager Erik ten Hag looked deflated at full-time, looking like someone who has already accepted defeat and it showed in the strange selection call he took.

How does Martial still start games

Playing Anthony Martial from the start was a strange choice considering the disastrous performance he put in a week ago against Newcastle United.

And that proved to be the case as the Frenchman looked lost, hardly affected play and failed to hold the ball up or be at the right place at the right time.

During his 56-minute stay on the pitch, the 27-year-old managed to complete only 19 out of 25 passes for a pass completion rate of 76 percent.

He only had one weak effort on goal while failing to make any crosses or complete any dribbles, highlighting how much of a non-existent threat he was on the night.

The France international was his usual lazy self, not pressing from the front and winning only 43 percent of his duels. He failed to make any interceptions and lost the ball 11 times (stats from Sofascore).

Martial was very poor

He was rightfully booed by the Old Trafford faithful when his number came up and substitute Rasmus Hojlund put in much more of an effort while pressing.

How the Frenchman has survived so long at Old Trafford despite so many mediocre performances over the years is quite surprising.

How Ten Hag keeps picking him is also puzzling. The manager will ultimately be judged on the points the team accrues and currently, it is simply not good enough.

There are even talks of a contract extension for the former Monaco star. The club is surely in tatters if something like that occurs.