The majority of the opening weekend of the Premier League games have been played. One of the big winners of the weekend was Manchester United who recorded a 5-1 win against Leeds at Old Trafford. The game saw Portuguese attacking midfielder Bruno Fernandes score a hat-trick in a superb opening day display from the Red Devils that sent the returning Old Trafford crowd into raptures.
Midfielders the stars of the show
United began the game without forwards Edinson Cavani, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford, although Martial came off the bench. Youngster Mason Greenwood played upfront and got on the scoresheet. However, it was the midfielders who were the stars of the show.
Fernandes was United’s star player last season, despite his form slowed slightly towards the end of the campaign. However, he came back with to his brilliant best against Leeds with a treble. If he maintains his form, then he will be a crucial figure for United.
The attacking midfielder was not the only Red Devils star that shined against the Whites. French international Paul Pogba is often criticised for his inconsistency, but the midfielder shone having a hand in four of the Red Devils five goals. Only seven players have When he is on form there are very few central midfielders that can compete with him for quality.
Pogba has been consistently linked with a move away from Manchester. A report from the Daily Star claims that the French midfielder is set to allow his contract run down and join Spanish giants Real Madrid next summer. The Pogba that played against Leeds will be a big loss and not just from a financial standpoint either.
United still have more players to come back
The fact that Manchester United produced such a good performance without several key players. French centre-back Raphael Varane has yet to make an appearance for United, while England winger Jadon Sancho only made a cameo from the bench. The pair is likely to become first-team regulars in the future.
Then of course Cavani and Rashford are still to come back from injury and will be more options for head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The United squad certainly seems to be moving in the right direction.
A good start but it’s just a start
Manchester United kicked off the campaign as one of the favourites to win the Premier League title. However, the Red Devils were considered to be a long way behind arch-rivals Manchester City in the race to be crowned English champions. The opening day victory was certainly a massive positive, especially against a team that is considered to be a rival by many.
Solskjaer’s team has hit the ground running and that is all that can be asked of them. They need to maintain that sort of form throughout the season if they are to have any chance of winning their first Premier League title since 2013 under the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson.
Solskjaer has a big job on his hands guiding the current team to glory this season. If the Leeds performance was anything to go by, United may well be far closer to City this season.
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Does Manchester United have enough quality to win the title this season?
