Manchester United strolled to a 1-0 victory over Astana in their Europa League opener at Old Trafford tonight.
Struggling to open the scoring despite completely dominating the game, it was Mason Greenwood who eventually broke the deadlock and ensured three points for the English outfit.
While the match was ultimately unexciting and perhaps disappointing from a performance standpoint, it gave Solskjaer a chance to evaluate many younger and less critical squad players, handing a rest to more crucial members of his setup. He will take comfort from the fact that they were able to get the job done.
Sergio Romero- 6
Romero went relatively untested but did his job and provided reassurance on the ball whenever called upon.
Diogo Dalot- 6
Perhaps slightly unlucky not to score a goal, Dalot will be comfortable with his performance on the night. Long-term, he needs to do more if he wants to compete for a first team slot, though.
Axel Tuanzebe- 7
Tuanzebe looked assured at the back for the duration of the match and played a massive role in United’s ability to stay high up the pitch for almost the whole 90 minutes.
Phil Jones- 5
While he had his moments, Jones looked uncomfortable more than once over the course of the match. He slightly benefits in his rating here having played a part in tonight’s clean sheet.
Marcos Rojo- 6
Making some surprising attacking contributions along with some strange ones is what you expect from Rojo, but ultimately, it would not be a surprise to see him ahead of Jones if only one of them is to play the next Europa League match.
Fred- 7
Picking up an assist and coming close to scoring a few times, Fred perhaps missed the opportunity to take complete control of a match that appeared quite easy for him. Nonetheless, Solskjaer will be encouraged by his display as he looks for midfielders to start with Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba.
Nemanja Matic- 4
Matic, once again, failed to contribute to the midfield and continues to look as if his time at the top level of football is running out.
Mason Greenwood- 7
Perhaps Greenwood could have had a hat-trick, but he will ultimately be happy he got his first senior goal. Expect many more from the 17-year-old if he continues to get game time in the cup competitions this season.
Angel Gomes- 7
Gomes was the highlight of the night, and while he perhaps lost steam towards the end of his cameo, his neat flicks and swift operation in tight areas should lead to a start ahead of the likes of Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard at some point.
Tahith Chong- 4
Chong has shown plenty of promise in the past, but he seems out of place at the senior level for now. His best and worst moments both point to the fact that plenty of what he does on the pitch is speculative.
Marcus Rashford- 5
While Rashford had some excellent and creative moments, top players in his age group in the Premier League would have put the match away today with the looks he had at goal. He needs to work on his set-piece delivery and instinctive finishing away from the keeper.
Juan Mata- 5
Mata was quite anonymous when he replaced Gomes, but he ultimately did enough to get the job done.
Jesse Lingard- 5
Hitting the post and then missing a 1v1 with the goalkeeper, Lingard sometimes seems as if he will never score for United again. He is definitely capable of more than what he has been producing in recent months.
Ashley Young- 5
Replacing Rojo late in the match, Young also did enough to ensure the 3 points for United. He will likely return to the lineup for the weekend clash at West Ham.
