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Man Utd player ratings vs Valencia: Rashford a bright spark, Sanchez awful, Lukaku flops
ALEXIS SANCHEZ put in yet another dismal display as Manchester United were held to a 0-0 draw by Valencia, but how did the rest of the Red Devils perform?
Alexis Sanchez produced another below-par performance as Manchester United ground out a 0-0 draw against Valencia.
The Chilean has been struggling for form this season and was dropped by manager Jose Mourinho last time out against West Ham.
Sanchez was recalled for the Champions League clash against the La Liga outfit but failed to impress while team-mates Eric Bailly and Romelu Lukaku also struggled.
Marcus Rashford was a rare bright spark in the display, casuing Valencia problems with his probing runs and hitting the bar with a clever free-kick, but the 20-year-old was unable to make a breathrough.
Express Sport have rated the Manchester United players for their performances against Valencia – but who impressed and who let the side down?
Manchester United player ratings vs Valencia – Champions League
GK: David De Gea – 6
Barely tested in the opening 45, despite United’s sluggish performance.
Had little to do after the break either.
RB: Antonio Valencia - 5
Found the going tough against Goncalo Guedes, amid reports of a falling out with Mourinho.
Diogo Dalot could be finding himself getting plenty of game time in the near future.
CB: Eric Bailly – 4
Attempted a shot from 40 years that never had a hope of going in.
Distribution was poor and positioning was not much better.
CB: Chris Smalling – 5
Couple of vital blocks in a match of few clear-cut chances.
The best of a bad bunch at centre-back for United so far this season.
LB: Luke Shaw – 6
Kept Valencia quiet for much of the night and managed to make a few forays forward.
CM: Marouane Fellaini – 5
Looked sloppy in the early stages and sitting alongside Matic doesn’t help the tempo of the team.
That chest control still defies belief though.
CM: Nemanja Matic – 5
Held onto the ball for too long and looked pedestrian, but did his defensive work with little fuss.
CM: Paul Pogba – 6
One decent free-kick was stopped by Neto and a stinging volley was well blocked, but far too loose in possession.
RAM: Alexis Sanchez – 3
Desperately tried to make things happen but his final ball was lacking on multiple occasions.
Several woeful set-pieces summed up his night.
LAM: Marcus Rashford – 8
Seemed keen to make an impression with plenty of energy and some penetrating runs.
Went close with an early drive then had a powerful header blocked before clipping the bar with a whipped free-kick.
ST: Romelu Lukaku – 4
Barely got a kick in the first half and looked well off the pace when he finally got a touch.
Improved after the break and stung Neto’s hands with a fierce shot, but then limply struck a free-kick into the wall.
SUB: Anthony Martial (on for Sanchez, 76 mins) – 7
Improved United when he came on with some powerful bursts, running hard at the Valencia defence.
One more yard further forward and he could have won a penalty.