Fewer touches & passes than Onana: 4/10 Man Utd star should be dropped.

Manchester United earned a point against Aston Villa, which is a positive outcome given the short turnaround between the two clubs.

While Villa defeated Bayern Munich in a historic week, United squandered a two-goal lead against Porto before securing a last-gasp 3-3 Europa League tie.

Erik ten Hag had a horrific night. Villa had a night of glory. Yesterday’s game was anything but. The Premier League match resulted in the lowest xG in two years.

So, was there a lot to learn from the game? Well, averting loss has likely given Ten Hag a few more weeks in the bench.

The Dutchman has been under growing criticism at Old Trafford and might lose his job if the current run of defeats continues. After all, this is their worst start after seven Premier League games.

Maybe Jonny Evans can save him…

Manchester United’s finest performers vs Aston Villa.

United struggled to create many magical moments in the final third, with Bruno Fernandes coming closest, striking the far post with a beautiful free-kick.

So it was up to their defenders to remain resolute. Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt were also dropped, with Harry Maguire and Evans replacing them.

Maguire went out at halftime and had to be replaced, but both he and the Northern Irishman performed admirably. Evans won all five aerial duels and six of his seven ground clashes on route to receiving the game’s Player of the Match title.

Diogo Dalot was also in better shape following a disastrous start to the new season at left back. He was caught off guard by Brennan Johnson against Spurs last week, but he was in the right position at the right time to stop Jaden Philogene’s seemingly certain goal in the 92nd minute.

The ball dropped to the Villa wideman at the back post, but Dalot positioned himself superbly to prevent a powerful shot.

Of course, it wasn’t all good for United. Their frontline continues to falter.

Manchester United’s worst performance vs Aston Villa

Despite scoring three goals in midweek, Ten Hag’s team has now failed to score in three consecutive league games.

That drought began against Crystal Palace, lasted at home against Spurs, and regrettably, they looked equally as lifeless against Emery’s squad.

Rasmus Hojlund, who was expected to make an impact, went unnoticed and was removed after 64 minutes in the Midlands match.

Why? He held the ball ineffectively, ran the channels poorly, and failed to establish himself as a solid target inside the area.

That was possibly best demonstrated by the fact that Hojlund had 15 touches compared to goalie Andre Onana’s 37.

His pass total of five was also significantly lower than Onana’s 21. The 21-year-old’s fitness will undoubtedly improve, but he might be dropped following the international break.

This was a poor performance, accentuated by his lightweight nature in the combat, as he won only one of five skirmishes against the Villa defenders. He received no modification from Pau Torres or Diego Carlos.