Player ratings: Newcastle United 1-1 Manchester United

Another fragile showing from the Reds.

Here are the player ratings:

David De Gea - 9

Made two outstanding saves in the second half. The team’s press isn’t likely to get any better in the coming weeks (especially in the away games) and De Gea’s shot-stopping will get United some important points.

Harry Maguire - 4

The team’s defensive organization wasn’t great but Maguire didn’t look sharp enough on the day. Played some nice diagonals but didn’t inspire confidence all game after a shaky start.

Raphael Varane - 4

Was harried by Ryan Fraser for Newcastle’s opener and misplaced a few passes on the day. Looks like he’ll need a few more games to gain some sharpness following the injury.

Diogo Dalot - 6

Didn’t offer the quality from recent weeks but was decisive in the equaliser. The option to build from the right has been one of the positives since Solskjaer’s sacking.

Alex Telles - 4

Telles is a perfectly fine backup but should not be starting ahead of Luke Shaw. Showed one moment of quality when teeing up Edinson Cavani but didn’t run into space often enough.

Fred - 4

Like Maguire and Shaw, Fred’s one of the players in the United side who looks very poor when the side’s defensive organization is all over the place. Had a few misplaced passes as well. Was subbed off a half-time.

Scott McTominay - 6

Has played more forward passes in recent weeks. If he can continue doing the same under Rangnick, United will be a better team for it. Had to play as the lone midfielder in the second half before getting subbed off.

Bruno Fernandes - 5

Doesn’t entirely look at home in the double 10 role. He should either be picking balls between the lines or spraying passes with his head up like the second half. The only issue is that it leaves the midfield very porous. Played some good passes in the second half, one of which led to the goal.

Marcus Rashford - 3

The front three that often terrorized Manchester City in Solskjaer’s first season might be down to its last member with Anthony Martial likely to leave in January. Marcus Rashford should be careful. Looked out of place in the double 10 roles, playing extremely wide in the first half before moving to the left in the second half. Made some deplorable decisions in the second half. Patience is wearing thin.

Mason Greenwood - 3

Non-existent in the first half. Needs to show more than his shooting prowess to force himself into the side. Doesn’t seem to have any connection with Cristiano Ronaldo.

Cristiano Ronaldo - 3

The questions will not stop anytime soon but is it really worth the compromise? He has to be decisive because you’re not going to much else out of him over 90 mins and it’s hard to gauge into how the wild gesticulations affect his teammates.

Subs:

Jadon Sancho - 5

Had some moments towards the end but couldn’t really get going and should start more games.

Edinson Cavani - 8

Was a key player during Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign and will likely be the same for Ralf Rangnick. United need to find a replacement next season because what Edinson Cavani offers is far too valuable and the other forwards don’t provide it. Got a well-deserved goal and was the only threat all game. United’s season rests heavily on the Uruguayan’s fitness.

Nemanja Matic - NA

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Ralf Rangnick - 3

The formation will obviously be questioned in the coming weeks but the manager didn’t help himself with the personnel. It did not look like Ralf Rangnick had done his homework on some of the combinations and player profiles before picking the side or making the subs.

The subs themselves weren’t bad but the players they came in for was a bit confounding. He’s also going to have to be spot on with his team selection in away games because the organized press is unlikely to be a theme in these games. He’ll be hoping he can get a run of home games. It’s still early but United are playing catch-up for top-4 now and results matter.