Manchester United missed the chance to lift their fourth trophy in just over 12 months since Jose Mourinho’s tenure last night following defeat in the European Super Cup but nobody was really surprised to see Real Madrid emerge victorious.
The result continued Mourinho’s poor record against Los Blancos, a side he has never beaten, and there were certainly signs of concern during the match- with Romelu Lukaku in particular being wasteful in front of goal and lacking tactical awareness.
Those are all problems which can be fixed though and Manchester United will be hoping to work on things before they kickstart their Premier League campaign this weekend by hosting West Ham, a side who’ve been boosted by the capture of former Red Devils forward Javier Hernandez.
Plenty of lessons can be learnt from the defeat to Real Madrid but there were also positives to take on board, namely the exciting performance from Marcus Rashford off the bench; who caused the Spanish giant’s defence numerous issues.
It shows once again that Mourinho cannot ignore his young assets this season and that Manchester United should rethink their transfer strategy and end their pursuit of wide players like Ivan Perisic and Gareth Bale, both of whom have been linked with a move to Old Trafford.
Whilst both of those players are top-class and can provide a wealth of experience to Manchester United’s attacking line, the exciting performances consistently shown by Rashford prove he’s an asset that can be nurtured into a superstar.
He’s already a fan favourite at Old Trafford and could be the key to Manchester United’s future, though Mourinho needs to put more faith in the youngster as he mainly utilised the England international off the bench last season.
Manchester United need depth within their squad to cope with the rigours of Premier League and Champions League football, which will leave players like Rashford having an important position within the side.
If Rashford doesn’t get the minutes he deserves this season, then questions will be raised on his future and where he stands in Jose Mourinho’s plans. The Red Devils can certainly not afford to upset a player with such huge potential and it’s time the Portuguese boss realises what an asset he has on his hands.