Manchester United return to Premier League action on Sunday afternoon, looking to bounce back from their disappointing exit in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on Thursday.
Ruben Amorim’s side were beaten 4-3 by Tottenham Hotspur in North London, despite second half goals from Joshua Zirkzee, Amad Diallo and Jonny Evans.
It means attention now turns back towards the league, as they look to improve on their current 13th placed position and move into the top half of the table and back into European contention.
The first step on that journey is against Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth at Old Trafford, with the Cherries currently three points above United and flying high in sixth place.
There is an awful lot of work to be done at Old Trafford and it does not sound like Marcus Rashford has the stomach for the fight.
“From what he has said this week, it seems like he wants out and it feels like many United fans would say ‘good riddance’.
“The new United manager, Ruben Amorim, does not have an agenda against Rashford, but he is trying to set some standards in his first few weeks at the club.
“He has made a big call, saying what he did about Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho after leaving them out of the Manchester City game, but he is entitled to do that. He has got a short-term issue of trying to win some games but also the long-term aim of setting the standards he wants from his squad.
“Amorim left the carrot dangling there for both players saying that, if they apply themselves properly, they can come back into the fold – and there is nothing wrong with that, either.
“That was how it worked at most clubs I played for, but Rashford has responded with this talk of needing ‘a new challenge’. It is going to be interesting to see what happens next, and which clubs come in for him now.
“Back to the game, and I was at Old Trafford in December last year when the Cherries won 3-0.
“I love what Andoni Iraola has done at Bournemouth and they have been great to watch this season too – they always create loads of opportunities.
“While Amad Diallo has been exceptional since Amorim arrived, United remain a very average team, and I fancy Bournemouth to repeat their result from 12 months ago.
“United fans get very angry whenever I predict they will lose, and can be quite bullish about it on social media – although they are usually wise after the event rather than making a call before the game like me. I wonder how confident they are feeling at the moment?”
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