PLAYER RATINGS: Southampton 2-3 Man Utd

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Manchester United fought hard to claim the three points against Southampton yesterday, but some players came out of the game with more distinction than others. Do you agree with the ratings below? Let us know in the comments…

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De Gea: 9/10 (MOTM)

De Gea was phenomenal for us, and is looking like our best signing of the summer. That one-handed save to keep out Fonte’s header was almost unreal, and the save from Wanyame wasn’t bad either. With some better defending he definitely would have kept a clean sheet.

Darmian: 6/10

After a great start to the season, Darmian has started to slack off a little. Against PSV, he wasn’t at his best, and against Southampton he gave up too much space to Tadic. He was voted Player of the Month in August, and needs to return to that level sooner rather than later.

Smalling: 7/10

Smalling has been one of our best players this season. He formed an impressive partnership with Blind and has been rock solid at the back. Shaw’s injury has forced a change to a settled back four, however, and the defence as a whole wasn’t at its best against Southampton. Smalling didn’t do much wrong, but wasn’t quite the imperious presence we’ve seen in earlier games.

Blind: 5/10

After a blinder against Liverpool, Blind looked far less assured at St. Mary’s. Pelle shrugged off his challenges with ease, and Southampton seemed to target the Dutch international. He is not a natural centre back, but if Van Gaal is to continue playing him there, he may have to add some strength and bulk to match his obvious footballing intelligence.

Rojo: 6/10

Unsurprisingly, Rojo looked a little rusty and needs some time out on the pitch. He was good at times, but poor at times as well. He will also have to work on the link-up play with Depay, now the number-7’s pal Luke Shaw is out of action.

Schneiderlin: 7/10

Defensively, Schneiderlin was good against his old club. He didn’t do anything spectacular, but stuck to his job and executed his duties well. Personally, he is my favourite addition of the summer; he’s still adjusting to the Man Utd setup, but in another couple of weeks I think we will see the best of Morgan Schneiderlin.

Carrick: 6/10

Carrick controlled the tempo of the game during some phases of play, but at other points he looked decidedly average. This wasn’t Carrick at his best by any means, but equally it wasn’t him at his worst.

Memphis: 6.5/10

We’re all desperate to see Memphis replicate his European form in the Premier League. At the moment, he is not taking that many defenders on; he needs to show his pace. Having said that, his link-up play with Martial is proving to be a revelation. He does show moments of brilliance, but has to improve. With time, no doubt, he’ll develop into something special.

Mata: 7.5/10

Mata put on another consistent show, and scored a goal as well. Although popular with fans, I believe he is one of our most underrated players, rarely failing to make a telling contribution.

Rooney: 5.5/10

Rooney was one of United’s weakest players yesterday – Van Gaal maybe brought him back a game early. It hurts me deeply to give him such a low rating, but I he really wasn’t good. I believe once he scores once in the Premier League , the goals will start flowing like ketchup.

Martial: 8.5/10

Martial is the man of the moment. Not overpriced now, is he?  He is off to a fantastic start and we can only hope that he continues this rich run of form. He wasn’t involved much in the first 20-30 minutes, but when he got his chances he took them. He also holds the ball up brilliantly.

SUBSTITUTES

Valencia: 7/10

Did a far better job of containing Tadic than Darmian managed.

Schweinsteiger: 8/10

When he came on he was great, making a lot of passes and defending well too. Has to start for the most part this campaign – an excellent signing who adds real authority to the team.

McNair: 6.5/10

Came on and did his job, although he was implicated in Pelle’s second goal. A lung-busting run up the pitch was his best moment, and sparked this perceptive Tweet…

Let us know what you thought of the game in the comments below!

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