“He’s a very horrible player, I’ve never seen a worse player playing for a big club like him, it’s high time he starts learning Arabic and move to Saudi League”- Chelsea Legend John Terry says he saw something from Man united last night which he has never seen before in his entire life

“It’s time for him to start learning Arabic and move to the Saudi League; he’s a very horrible player and I’ve never seen a worse player playing for a big club.” — Chelsea Legend John Terry claims that yesterday night, he witnessed something from Man United that he has never seen in his life.

A goalless draw at Villa Park may have frustrated Manchester United in the past. However, given this season and Aston Villa’s remarkable ascent, it was a point that was valuable to have.

Stats indicate that this is United’s poorest league season start since 1989–1990, a season that reportedly saw Sir Alex Ferguson come dangerously close to losing his job. For this reason, Erik ten Hag is still under pressure. However, it’s crucial to keep a clean sheet after giving up three goals in a row.

But despite this, United has failed to score in four of their previous five Premier League games. Ten Hag has previously stated that he won’t be overly concerned about it unless his team stops creating opportunities, and Sunday’s match saw more shots on goal than Villa.

These are United’s top and worse players from the match, determined by 90min’s player ratings.

Best Man Utd player against Aston Villa
Jonny Evans: Eight out of ten

It was unimaginable that 36-year-old Jonny Evans would be the finest player representing Manchester United in a Premier League match in 2024. However, it took place at Villa Park.

In the pivotal decision to start Harry Maguire alongside Evans in the starting lineup following their abject performances in Thursday’s 3-3 draw against Porto, Ten Hag benched both Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez. Maguire’s injury prevented him from playing beyond the half, but Evans was excellent.

The former Northern Ireland international has surprisingly risen to the top of the center-back rankings thanks to his dependability and consistency. It is really amazing, given that he was originally just brought back on a short-term contract to make up for lost production during the preseason in 2023.

Diogo Dalot deserves honorable mention (7/10).

Diogo Dalot should be commended for his remarkable recovery from his terrible performance in the 3-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur just one week prior. Because of the Portuguese full-back’s competitiveness and ability to win tackles, Villa found it difficult to generate opportunities.

It’s also important to note that Dalot is still playing from his typical position because Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw are still unavailable on the left.

The worst Man Utd player against Aston Villa
4/10 for Joshua Zirkzee

In the hopes that he would be able to contribute in matches like these, United paid £34 million on an international forward in the summer. With just two starts under his belt, Rasmus Hojlund is still in need of assistance. There was therefore anticipation that Joshua Zirkzee, a Dutchman, would bring some new vitality and inventiveness to the game. Regretfully, that didn’t take place.

Zirkzee only had eight touches of the ball in his 26 minutes on the field, losing it four times. He needed to do more to establish himself in the game and improve his play with the ball when it did come his way. A portion of that is due to his service, or lack thereof.

In August, Zirkzee made his debut for United and scored his first goal after just 26 minutes. However, nine more appearances and counting have passed since then with not a single goal being involved.

Meritorious citations

Many United players, especially those in creative roles, had flashes of brilliance but fell short of the mark. Alejandro Garnacho, Christian Eriksen, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, and Rasmus Hojlund have all demonstrated in the past that they are far more capable.