Feyenoord 1-0 Manchester United: 3 flops and 3 stars

Jose Mourinho bemoaned the Europa League prior to Manchester United’s opening match against Feyenoord - and on the evidence of their performances this evening, his players don’t think much of the competition either.

They had the chance to give their fans something to smile about following last Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester City but wasted the opportunity.
Mourinho made three changes just after the hour-mark - Memphis Depay, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Ashley Young coming on for the ineffective trio Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Juan Mata - but the game ended 1-0 to the home side following Tonny Vilhena’s late winner.


But which players let United down - and did any of the visiting players actually perform well?
Scroll down to see our list of the three stars and flops from this evening’s encounter at De Kuip.

Flops

Marcos Rojo

Caught out of position on too many occasions to count, it’s genuinely surprising that Marcos Rojo wasn’t offloaded by Jose Mourinho in the summer.
The Argentina international, deputising for Luke Shaw this evening, was trending on Twitter at half-time but for all the wrong reasons. The second 45 minutes weren’t any better.

Tonight’s dismal performance by Rojo will probably give Mourinho a sleepless night when he gets home.

Juan Mata

What happened to the Juan Mata who used to take games by the scruff of the neck and produce goals and assists out of nothing?
The Spaniard was once widely regarded as one of the best players in the Premier League, but that’s no longer the case.

In order to salvage his United career, Mata needs to start showing the form that made him a household name in the first place.

Paul Pogba

Paul Pogba needs to start imposing himself more for Manchester United.
As the world’s most expensive player, the Frenchman knows he can ill-afford to go under the radar for his new employers - but that’s precisely what’s happening, match after match.

Pogba flattered to deceive during the opening 45 minutes and although he improved after the break, it’s only natural that people will expect much more given his astronomical price tag.

Stars

Okay, so picking three stars from tonight’s match wasn’t easy…

Ander Herrera

Ander Herrera injects energy into United’s midfield whenever he’s on the pitch and tonight was no different.

The Spaniard was one of the few United players who didn’t let himself down tonight.

Chris Smalling

Following Daley Blind’s performance against City at the weekend, United fans will be pleased to see Chris Smalling back in business.

The England international, despite the scoreline, can’t be blamed for tonight’s defeat.

Eric Bailly

And neither can Eric Bailly.

Expect to see the 22-year-old and Smalling in central defence again for Sunday’s Premier League clash against Watford.



Who was the biggest disappointment tonight? Have your say by leaving a comment below.