Manchester United Under-21s lost their 100% record in Premier League 2 in dramatic fashion as they fell 3-2 to Nottingham Forest U21s.
These are our player ratings for the match. You can read a detailed match report here.
(A score of six is around average.)
Ratings
Cameron Byrne-Hughes – 7.5 – Made three quality saves in the first half and could not have done much more for the goals conceded.
Yuel Helafu – 6 – An average game for the full-back, he was not troubled defensively and did not make any mistakes but also did not dominate the game as he so often does.
Reece Munro – 5 – Looked clumsy on the ball at times and made some questionable decisions with his positioning, particularly in the build-up to Forest winning a penalty. He could also have done a better job of getting a foot in to make a clearance to prevent the first goal.
Dan Armer – 7 – Started the match really well with crisp passing out from the back and made some important interceptions. He further strengthened the Harry Maguire comparisons with a goal from the penalty spot that was smashed down the middle. However, Forest’s third goal exposed his one weakness, as his lack of athleticism saw him unable to intercept a reachable ball.
Diego Leon – 6 – Did good work getting up and down the left side to offer support in attack, including some powerful overlaps, but the less said about his crossing the better.
Jim Thwaites – 7.5 – Really controlled the midfield from deep with a consistent supply of line-splitting passes into the final third that unfortunately were not always taken advantage of. He also supplied some good deliveries into the box and threatened with a couple of free kicks sailing narrowly wide. Defensively, he put himself about and made some good tackles but got a bit overeager and went through the back of a player to concede a penalty for Forest’s second goal.
Amir Ibragimov – 6 – Moving back into a deeper midfield role after taking up the false nine position to begin the season, he never really got going on the night. He had some good bits of play, including in the build-up to United’s second goal, but equally had some wayward passes and looked to really tire in the second half.
Bendito Mantato – 6 – A tough night against such a low block, he had his marker on toast at times but with the number of players back for Forest he found himself overrunning it and losing possession.
Jaume Camacho – 6.5 – A neat and tidy debut for the U21s, he picked up good positions in the half-space and looked to keep the ball moving fairly quickly. He will want to get involved more as he gains experience, but he goes home with an assist on his debut.
Samuel Lusale – 8 – United’s key man in attack on the night, anything fruitful looked like it would come from him. His direct running was really the only thing that caused Forest trouble and resulted in a number of free kicks in dangerous areas before eventually earning a penalty late in the first half. He then scored a goal of his own early in the second half following a fantastic run past two defenders. Changes later in the second half saw him moved over to the right wing, where he lost his influence before being substituted.
Enzo Kana-Biyik – 4.5 – A couple of good runs early on were let down by poor first touches before he drifted out of the match. Lining up as the number nine, he was often missing as the focal point of attacks but also did not get involved when he dropped deeper.
Substitutes
Jaydan Kamason – 6 – The most impactful of the substitutions, he played with speed and looked to feed the ball into the box. He could have had a penalty when his shirt was pulled inside the box while getting on the end of a cross, but the referee waved away his protestations.
Tynan Thompson – 5.5 – In what was a slow match for the most part, he fit in perfectly as he slowed down the majority of attacks he was involved in and played it backwards. His introduction also had the negative consequence of moving Lusale off his favoured left wing.
Ashton Missin – 5.5 – Was lively and energetic upon his introduction and deserves credit for trying to force an opening at the end, but it never really came off and he often ended up losing possession.
Kai Rooney – 5.5 – Made his U21s debut at just sixteen years old but was not able to make an impact off the bench.
Featured image James Fearn via Getty Images
