September was a tough month for Manchester United. A thrashing of third-tier Barnsley in the Carabao Cup provided a brief respite from humble results in the Premier League and Europa League.
In particular regarding the show against Tottenham Hotspur at the end of September it reopened the ongoing debate about Erik ten Hag’s future. The Dutchman is expected to do so keep your position at the helm of a roster ship, although he hasn’t been helped by many of his underperforming players.
Not every member of United’s squad has been affected during a run of results that was marked by 3-0 defeats to Liverpool and Spurs.
Based on a survey 90 minutes carried out in our dedicated Manchester United fan WhatsApp channel (link to follow below), over 46,000 fans have made their September Player of the Month candidate very clear.
Seven of Manchester United’s 11 goals in September came at home in Barnsley in a tie in the third round of the Carabao Cup. Marcus Rashford he scored twice in that transfer win and, more significantly, had opened his Premier League account against Southampton three days earlier.
The graduate of United’s divisive academy had not scored in any of his previous 12 appearances for the club in all competitions but enjoyed himself against newly promoted Saints. Despite coming off with 20 minutes remaining, Rashford had three shots on target – his most in a Premier League game since May 2023.
That burst of form was cut off when Ten Hag dropped Rashford on the bench for United’s next league game. The Dutchman cited “rotation”, but United fans were clearly more impressed with the England international, with approximately 4,500 of them voting him Player of the Month.
Center backs Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt received around 2,000 nominations. But the defensive duo’s stock was undoubtedly affected by punishment 3-3 draw in the Europa League with Porto once started October when Ten Hag hooked them both in the 78th minute. The old-fashioned pairing of Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans, who were substituted in the continental qualifier, held their position for the last United’s league game before the October international break. Rather damningly, the forceful British association maintained a clean sheet against high-flying Aston Villa.
|
player |
September appearances |
Poll votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Marcus Rashford |
6 |
4,500 |
|
Lisandro Martinez |
5 |
2,600 |
|
Matthijs de Ligt |
5 |
2,000 |
|
others |
N/A |
2,900 |
Andre Onana’s popularity has fluctuated wildly over 14 months in England, going from futuristic messiah to disaster. It’s been a lot more the former than the latter lately. Almost three-quarters of the 46,000 fans who completed the poll selected the goalkeeper as United’s best player.
Ona’s reputation has enjoyed an upward surge despite the downward trending results. The Cameroon international produced a crucial penalty save to swing the momentum of United’s trip Southampton in the middle of the month, set to deny Cameron Archer’s domestic effort before again stopping the rebound as well.
Although United dropped points, Onana managed to improve their standing with the fans. United’s enigmatic player was rested for the cup tie against Barnsley but was repeatedly called into action at the end of a goalless stalemate with Crystal Palace. Onana was unable to keep a clean sheet as Tottenham traveled to Old Trafford despite making seven saves, the most he has recorded in a league game since February.
It’s rarely a good sign when the goalkeeper is a team’s best player for a single game. That Onana has clearly been the standout over the past month says a lot about her recent struggles. Unfortunately for United, they have also been in this position before, when David de Gea was named Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year for three consecutive seasons.
Andre Onana’s Man Utd stats in September
|
Statistics |
Value in all competitions |
|---|---|
|
games |
5 |
|
clean sheets |
2 |
|
Goals conceded |
7 |
|
Post shot xG |
8.4 |
|
Savings percentage |
74% |
