Manchester United’s start to the Premier League season has been great, as they have picked up 13 points from their first five games of the season and sit joint top of the table with Chelsea and Liverpool although both of those teams have a better goal difference than the Red Devils.
But they have not had a great time in other competitions. They tasted defeat in the opening game of their UEFA Champions League group stage campaign against Young Boys. And then, they were knocked out of the League Cup by West Ham United in the third round itself.
One player who has come under some criticism in recent times is Anthony Martial. He did not have a great 2020/21 campaign and has not made a great start to this one either. He started the game against West Ham United and played the full match.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer refused to point the finger at any individuals though and said that Martial will continue to get his chances to prove himself. As reported by ESPN, the Manchester United manager said:
"“I don’t think it’s right to go into individual performances.“[Martial] was the same as the rest of the team. We played some nice football, we lacked some of that cutting edge and he knows what we want from him. He’ll keep working and get his chances.”"
Following the game, as reported by talkSPORT, Jamie O’Hara said on The Sports Bar:
"“I want him to be like Thomas Tuchel, who comes out and is honest, like when Saul was taken off at half-time, but he [Solskjaer] gives these politically boring answers.”"
Manchester United were knocked out of the League Cup by West Ham United
We are in the early stages of a new season but some questions have already been raised about the future of Solskjaer at Manchester United.
The club have not won a trophy in four seasons now and as a result, every competition is an opportunity to bring that streak to an end. Thus, their elimination from the League Cup, especially this early, is a massive disappointment.
One could argue that Solskjaer could have made some substitutions earlier or different ones in order to change the game up. But at the end of the day, it was just a bad day at the office for most of the team. Manchester United have to put this performance behind them and get their focus back on the Premier League, as they face Aston Villa this weekend.