Manchester United 1-6 Tottenham Hotspur: 5 players who flopped for the Red Devils| EPL 2020-21

#3 Aaron Wan-Bissaka

Aaron Wan-Bissaka was poor once again for Manchester United.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka was a rock on the right side of the defense last season for Manchester United. Very few people would get past him, and the ones who did were greeted with crunching tackles from the 'Spiderman'.

However, one complaint that stuck to the Englishman was his lack of ambition going forward. If fans expected Wan-Bissaka to improve his offensive aspect of the game in his second season with Manchester United, they would have been disappointed so far.

Not only has the Englishman failed to show a bit of adventure up front, he has also regressed in his defensive performances as well.

Wan-Bissaka has been poor in the run-up to the Tottenham game, and he endured another torrid outing on the pitch on Sunday. His positioning was suspect, and he looked reluctant to involve himself in one-on-one battles with Son or Reguilon.

The Englishman tucked inside all game, providing the opposition plenty of space to work on. Even when Manchester United went a man down and required players to stand up, Wan-Bissaka showed little stomach for a fight.

---

#2 Paul Pogba

Paul Pogba failed to impress for Manchester United yet again.

There’s an added scrutiny on Paul Pogba every season, perhaps due to his monstrous transfer fee and wages but also because of the fact that he’s yet to truly fulfill his potential at Old Trafford.

The Frenchman was unimpressive at the start of this season once again, but Solskjaer continued to keep faith in him. Unfortunately for the Norwegian, Pogba was one of the poorest players on the pitch for Manchester United.

The Frenchman’s lack of defensive discipline and composure while playing in the double pivot was evident once again on Sunday. Pogba displayed little urgency on the pitch and had negligible offensive impact in the game. He did little without the ball either and was a passenger for the majority of the game.

Pogba was strangely kept on after the break, with Solskjaer offering him greater freedom by bringing in Fred and Scott McTominay. However, the Frenchman did nothing worth remembering in the opposition half.

He did, however, allow Serge Aurier to jog past him and score Tottenham’s fifth goal of the game. The Frenchman then conceded a penalty that allowed Tottenham Hotspur to go 6-1 ahead. That perhaps summed up his night for Manchester United.

---

#1 Harry Maguire

Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur - Premier League

Harry Maguire’s arrival brought much-needed solidity in the Manchester United backline last season, and he was even handed the armband after Ashley Young’s departure.

While the Englishman had his flaws, the improvements in the back were visible for everyone to see. This season, however, the Red Devils have looked poor at the back in the Premier League, and Lindelof was pointed out as the weak link at the back. But against Tottenham, it was Maguire who endured perhaps his worst game in a Manchester United shirt, which raises questions about the fragile state of the United backline once again.

The Englishman started by churning up the Tottenham equaliser by making an insane header back towards his own goal. He then fouled Kane and allowed his countryman to take a quick free-kick that caught the Manchester United defense off-guard.

After Manchester United went a man down, as the skipper, Maguire should have assembled his team and kept them inspired. However, he failed to stand up and be counted.

Manchester United continued to ship in goals as Maguire remained a spectator at the back, with his performance in the middle of the backline being one of his poorest in recent times.. Even without Martial’s red card, it is hard to imagine how a Manchester United team with such a defense could have survived the night against a rampant Tottenham side.

The Manchester United defense has now shipped in 12 goals in the first three games of the Premier League this season, with Harry Maguire being the omnipresent figure at the back in all three games.