Are Bruno and Rashford a problem?

Cloud7

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Yes they are. Issue being that there aren’t really adequate replacements in the squad right now, but going forward, yes they are both big issues as they are the two players that we count on the most.
 

city-puma

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Stop blaming the players who give their 100%.
This ridiculous season is purely on ETH. ETH’s vision, strategy, plan, and execution have not been working. It doesn’t mean he can’t adjust them to work out but the damage has been huge.
 

alexanderplatz

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What’s clear to me is that you can’t have two of the 4 attacking players who are so woeful at defending and who make no real effort when things aren’t going their way. I don’t think we can have the luxury of both long term (I say luxury because when good they can be very good) so would be in favour of shifting one. Not sure which one it would be, probably Bruno
 

sammyhol

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Bit of a mad thread this… undoubtedly Bruno and Rashford have huge gaps in their games that have to be mitigated for. And as a result, they wouldn’t be starting in an elite top 5 European side. And they have both been awful this season.

But … and it is a big but…. They are the only 2 players in this squad that have had multiple sustained (6 month +) periods of delivering the kind of output in the Prem associated with elite attacking players in their respective positions.

it is the coach’s responsibility to get the best output out of the tools at his disposal. Either by playing to their strengths and building tactics around those strengths. Or coaching them to fulfil the role he expects them to perform. ETH is massively failing on those two points.

i don’t think either Rashford or Bruno can be coached to play the role they are expected to play…. But we don’t currently have the luxury of being able to just rip out our most dangerous players. So ETH should be setting up a team to play to the strengths of his best players.

and both, especially Bruno, have barely played a full game in their actual positions (inside left forward & solo No 10 respectively) all season.
 

SirSean

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Yes. Major. I work as a manager at my workplace, and have several employees to attemd to. If one performs like crap, and everyone else are trying, but constantly see that one employee being able to keep hts or her job whilst slacking and under performing, that will quickly fester demotivation amongst others. It happens to the best. Rotten apples will affect the rest of the batch.
So not only are they a problem in terms of their current form, they are also aiding in festering a rotten and unambitious culture at United, due to Erik constantly picking them - despite their sloppy performances.

Should be benched as quickly as possible.
 

The Urban Goose

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Rashford is not, and will never be, a team player. We'll never have a coherent press with him.

If we are playing him we should stick to being a counter-attack team.
 

Lee565

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Bruno, yes, we sacrifice too much for such a lightweight player, we sacrifice any chance of controlling games, we sacrifice formation to accommodate him and even handicap ourselves at times by using him as square peg in round hole by either trying to play him as a midfielder or as a winger.
 

GoldanoGraham

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For ETH to save his job he needs to take this 2 out of the starting line up for a few games and see what happens with their replacements.

The only time this has happened so far this season, albeit against Palace in the CCup we looked the most comfortable all season - Hanibal and Mount were great.

While that’s not the greatest yardstick something has to give as what is currently being served up just ain’t good enough.
 

Bastian

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For a possession style team, yes. For a plucky counter-attacking team, no.
 

AFC NimbleThumb

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Just said similar in the Bruno thread.

The Bruno we are seeing under EtH is some neutered version. Play him as a 10 & run the team through him.
 

Salford_Red83

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Yes.

They are the hill ETH is willing to die on.

His continued favouritism of these 2 players will cost him his job.
 

Telsim

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We have had 1 good game in many, many, many months. And those two weren't present. And yes, it was against Crystal Palace's B team. But it's still a good performances. So instead of just trying it out again, maybe it works, maybe it doesn't, he keeps persisting with this shower of shite. We will never control a game with Bruno. Ever. Rashford is the most overrated player.

He is walking into a sack and has no one else to blame but himself.
 

klayton88

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I said last week they are the biggest problems in our team and got shit for it. Got years of them to come yet
 

klayton88

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It's a catch-22 for Ten Hag to be fair. Say he drops the two and United continue to be shit and lose. Then you have another media circus on our hands.
He's win his own fans over though. Feck the media.
 

klayton88

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Stop blaming the players who give their 100%.
This ridiculous season is purely on ETH. ETH’s vision, strategy, plan, and execution have not been working. It doesn’t mean he can’t adjust them to work out but the damage has been huge.
You think Rashford gives 100%?
 

TMDaines

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Considering the rest of our forwards have a combined 0 goals and 0 assists in the league this season, probably not.

 

ayushreddevil9

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They are a problem because they are just not suited to whatever ETH is trying to build.

Good players for a different system.
 

noodlehair

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Does there have to be a variation of this same discussion after every single game?

I guess you can argue Garnacho deserves a chance ahead of Rashford at this point, but that isn't going to fix us not having a midfield and all our defenders being injured, or our manager constantly being fecking weird.

And I'm not even sure who you play ahead of Bruno. Mount? VDB? This will help how exactly?
 

Champ

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Drop Bruno and Rashford for whom??

They are still our two most potent attacking players. We drop them and we lose near enough all attacking threat.

But I understand we need some scapegoats so Carry on regardless.
 

Winrar

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Struggling to think of a game this season where either of them looked good. Bruno home vs Forest? Even then that's 1 out of 10 games.
 

Von Mistelroum

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Bruno could be fine as part of a decent team with good players around him and a strong captain that isn't him. Bring allowed to be a playmaker he'd be ok.

Rashford is a huge problem because somehow nobody seems able to see how poor he actually is. It's like there's some mass brainwashing going on and everyone in football and in the media is seeing this amazing Balloon d'Or contender where actually there's a half-decent winger who barely looks like he can be arsed half the time, and who looks terrified of any challenge or hard work. That's why he'll stay here until he retires and we'll always have a problem in the team because of that.
 

2mufc0

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At the moment yes.
 

RuudTom83

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For me new signings get a free pass, and players who are not high earners also shouldn’t feel the full force of the fans wrath.

So the trio of Bruno/Casemiro/Rashford are the ones who should carry the blame and burden for the team.

All 3 have been under par so far this season. So you could say currently all 3 are a problem.
 

croadyman

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They are a problem but Erik doesn't see them as one unfortunately so tricky one to solve
 

jesperjaap

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They’re THE problem.

Rashford - a good footballer who appeared at the best time possible in United’s recent history. They needed a poster boy to show they were still relevant and he fit the bill. He’s gone on to prove to be bang average year after year, yet has been rewarded for his mediocrity with two/three improved contracts putting him on >300k a week.

Bruno is a Hollywood player, capable of great passes that slice open defences, but NOT capable of controlling a midfield battle. He is neither the patience or discipline to do this and, as such, we will never get to where we want to be with him as our main creative force.
Response of the day, on the money....of which both are getting way way too mch of
 

El Jefe

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I said when ETH joined that if he puts his faith in these two he will get sacked and it’s only a matter of time now. We got as far as we possibly could with them in the Ole era. Oleball was catered 100% to their style of play and we all had enough of it at the end and wanted a change of style.

It’s no coincidence ETH said he wants us to be the best transition team in the world because with these two in the team there is no other way to play.

These two are bench players at other top teams. They wouldn’t be enabled and indulged the way they are here.
 

Beans

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Bruno is a Hollywood player, capable of great passes that slice open defences, but NOT capable of controlling a midfield battle. He is neither the patience or discipline to do this and, as such, we will never get to where we want to be with him as our main creative force.
I agree. United can be a very good counter attacking team, but not a real top team with Bruno in midfield.
 

Scandi Red

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They are a problem like everyone else this season. No worse, no better. But it's extra jarring when it's those two because you know what they are capable of. And we are so dependent on them performing.
 

fallengt

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Yes, but they shouldn't be.. the fact that whole team relied on them to be main creation outlet says something... They're hilariously one note players, either works or don't
Next manager will still face the same problem as I don't see us shipping out these "stars" players soon.
 
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Yanited__

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I think short term, something needs to change. Everyone's near enough been dropped but the common denominator has been both of them continuing to play/start for us. Maybe just need them on the bench for a couple of games, lets them know they're not nailed on in the side. Everyone uses the Telles/Shaw example and AWB/Dalot. The one game where both didn't play (Crystal Palace in the league cup) was our best performance/result.

Long term, I genuinely do not know. Maybe they are overrated? Both have played under multiple managers, both now considered 'senior' players at the club yet are not leading by example (at least now when you need it the most). Or maybe they are just a victim to the culture at the club.

I would say that there's players in both of them. So then is it down to ETH to get the best out of them? The answer is usually somewhere in the middle, they have to look at themselves as well.
 

Coops73

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They’re fecking shite right now, Bruno winds me up like you wouldn’t believe when he goes into hero mode and runs around like a fecking loon trying to change the game single handedly, and making him captain because of this seems really bad at this point, his constant whinging can only be a distraction surely?

As for Rashford, I’m just not understanding his constant inclusion, he’s been awful this season, I understand Hag wants to try and play him into some sort of form but how long will this go on for?
 

VP89

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We have a run of decent fixtures coming up, barring Newcastle at home. I would like to see us drop the pair and play Eriksen with Garnacho. If Amrabat and Casemiro do the dog work and let Eriksen pull the strings, I actually think we will create more. Heck even Mount and Cas.
 

ArjenIsM3

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Been saying for s while now that they're a huge problem. All Bruno does is lose the ball and whine. Rashford has the occasional good ball and sometimes gets himself into a good position but fecking hell most of the game he looks like he doesn't even want to be on the pitch. He's just jogging around.

Right now I'd rather start Garnacho and Mount/Mejbri over these two.
 

Cerberus

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Neither of them are good enough to start in a title-winning side so yeah they're a huge problem, especially given the contracts they're on.
 

klayton88

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Of course. You can use your eyes rather than just listening to the “lazy” claims made here. I am sure you can also find stats somewhere to see it.
I do use my eyes mate. My eyes tell me he doesn't even contest 50% of aerial balls and mostly doesn't track back.
 

K stand Red

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This is a problem which has been brewing for a few years, firstly Bruno is not as talented as he is given credit for and flatters to deceive, similarly with Rashford
The recruitment has been shocking and a blindman on a galloping horse could see that
Name one player in the current squad who would get in the starting line up of the top 6 teams