Henderson’s heroic deeds highlight lack of depth in Man Utd’s attack

Manchester United’s Carabao Cup clash with Luton had all the elements of a surprise.

The visitors had come to Kenilworth Road after a demoralizing loss to Crystal Palace in their first Premier League match at the weekend and were up against a Championship side that had started their campaign undefeated.

In Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s book, this was effectively United’s third preseason game, given that their players had only had a full week of training together. However, the problem was that it was not a friendly, and after their loss at home to Palace, they desperately needed a result.

Having made 10 changes to the defeated team at Old Trafford on Saturday, Solskjaer gave some much-needed minutes to his fringe players, but the resulting lack of fluidity in his team’s attacking play forced him to bring in some first-team regulars. off the bench to secure a spot in the fourth round.

Also, had it not been for Dean Henderson’s heroics, debuting in goal, the game could have ended very differently.

The United manager promised to give the 23-year-old a chance this season and kept his word at Luton.

One of the main questions about Henderson’s prospects for usurping David de Gea in goal was whether he could stay focused during the 90 minutes. Could you go through most of a game with nothing to do but react when needed?

He emphatically answered that question when he ducked down to deny Tom Lockyer a draw with just under 10 minutes to go. De Gea, who was watching at home, will definitely know by now that he has a real fight on his hands for the number 1 jersey.

Of course, Henderson’s save also highlighted United’s problems in attack. After all, should they really trust their goalkeeper to come to their rescue after 81 minutes of a match against Championship rivals?

Henderson obviously showed that United are now well networked, but can you say the same for their attacking department?

There is no doubt that the entire team is suffering from a lack of preseason to prepare them for what will be another grueling campaign, but this was another laborious performance from Solskjaer’s side, who, despite his possession, did a tough job trying . to decompose the hosts.

Donny van de Beek flashed brilliance in his first outing in a United jersey. The Dutchman displayed smart movement and clear vision, and bonded well with Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard, who were brilliant in having rare starts.

But, as they tried to fight their way through a congested Luton midfield, they struggled to create chances for Odion Ighalo, who couldn’t really test James Shea in Luton’s goal.

Van de Beek and Mata combined well in the run-up to Brandon Williams winning the penalty from which the Spaniard gave United the lead just before half-time, but as the game continued and Luton grew in confidence it became very clear. that Solskjaer would need a spark from the bank.

Lingard, whose long-term future is in doubt, had an encouraging game, seeing an effort cleared off the line by United academy graduate Ryan Tunnicliffe, and played the full 90 minutes but was eventually overshadowed after Solskjaer will pitch Bruno Fernandes, as well as Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood.

Pace and penetration that had been sorely lacking in United’s performance came on suddenly, with the visitors hitting Luton twice at halftime to secure a 3-0 victory.

First came a delightful move involving all three replacement forwards as Fernandes found Greenwood, whose perfect heist play allowed Rashford to run back and snap in.

Then 18-year-old Greenwood sealed the victory with a brilliant career and a smart finish.

“Passing is the most important thing, some positives, we have a goalkeeper back there doing his job, he scored some nice goals at the end, you can see the impact they had,” Solskjaer said. Sky Sports. “Other than that, it was a good workout.”

It was hardly a performance to remember, but an important job done as they try to build momentum for what will be a long and challenging season.

United deserves credit for avoiding a surprise, but doubts about the depth of Solskjaer’s attacking options have certainly not disappeared with the closing of the transfer window drawing ever closer.