Manchester United were stunningly knocked out of the FA Cup in the fourth round itself, by Championship side Middlesbrough. The Red Devils had completely dominated in the first half and it had looked like they were going to cruise to a victory. But a controversial goal in the second half resulted in the visitors equalising and the two sides could not be separated in the 90 minutes or in extra-time.
As a result, the game went to penalties and Anthony Elanga’s miss proved to be decisive, as Manchester United were eliminated from the competition.
The FA Cup represented Manchester United’s best chance of winning silverware this season and it does feel like they are now set for their fifth straight trophyless campaign unless the club are able to spring a huge surprise and end up winning the Premier League or the Champions League.
But while a massive blow overall, there are some positives to be taken from the game against Middlesbrough as well.
Manchester United: 3 positives from FA Cup exit vs Middlesbrough
Here are three positives that Manchester United can take from their FA Cup fourth round exit at the hands of Middlesbrough:
Paul Pogba gets playing time
One bright spot for Manchester United, against Middlesbrough, was Paul Pogba. The Frenchman had been out of action with an injury since November and this was the first time that he featured under the management of Ralf Rangnick.
The German coach must have been impressed with what he saw from the French World Cup winner though.
Pogba almost looked unplayable at times against Middlesbrough, especially in the first half. And what is even more impressive is the fact that he was playing his first game of football in a long time.
There have been questions about where he would fit into Rangnick’s system but if he can keep performing like this, he will be undroppable.