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Player Ratings: Real Sociedad 0-4 Manchester United

Maguire, Fred, and Bruno stand out in a very good team performance.

Real Sociedad v Manchester United - UEFA Europa League Round Of 32 Leg One Photo by Chris Ricco/Getty Images

Player ratings from Manchester United’s 4-0 win again Real Sociedad in the Europa League.

Starters

Dean Henderson: 6/10

Not tested much, commanded his box well. Was either noticeably assertive in handling crosses, or I’m just used to De Gea not doing that.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka: 7/10

Looked a little dicey in the first half after getting that early booking but settled down and locked down his flank.

Eric Bailly: 7/10

Had a real presence in the box.

Harry Maguire: 10/10

Fantastic defensively. A few good clearances and a few good blocks. On the other side of the ball he played some fantastic passes and took the initiative to push the ball up field. Such an integral piece to United’s buildup play.

Alex Telles: 6/10

Good to see him put in another solid defensive shift. Going forward still not offering nearly as much as Shaw does.

Fred: 9/10

Brought a lot of energy to the middle of the park that he for some reason lacked last week against West Ham. Finally gets an assist after playing a fantastic through ball for Rashford.

Scott McTominay: 7/10

Very typical McTominay outing. Good energy in the middle, picked out the wrong pass a few times, and made really smart forward runs into the box.

Bruno Fernandes: 10/10

Was essentially deployed as a center forward which may have been Solskjaer’s way of telling him ‘stop dropping deeper than the entire midfield to get the ball. We need you higher up the pitch.’ He certainly delivered, cashing in two goals and reminding everyone that he’s way better than the Europa League.

Marcus Rashford: 7/10

The well taken finish on his goal doesn’t make us forget how wasteful he was in the first half. Luckily that won’t come back to bite United later. Played a fantastic ball to James to set up Bruno’s second.

Dan James: 10/10

Fantastic game from James. Put in a defensive shift and really helped Wan-Bissaka out. Has had a rough year after such a hot start but he’s starting to come into his own. His performance was justified with a goal — which could have been two if not for Greenwood being just offside — and an assist. He’s now scored three goals in essentially* his last five appearances (*doesn’t include the four minutes he played vs Villa).

Mason Greenwood: 8/10

Played more centrally tonight and looked the part. Tracked back well and contributed in the buildup play nicely. Should have had an assist but was just offside.

Substitutes

Nemanja Matić: 6/10

Came on and brought his usual calmness and composure to midfield, but with more urgency than he showed against West Ham last week. Allowed Fred to become more adventurous which worked well.

Anthony Martial: 6/10

Looked lively after coming on.

Amad Diallo: N/A

Didn’t get involved on the ball much but held his position well, and tracked back nicely. Those are the things you want to see as those qualities are the key to getting the manager to trust you which is the key to more playing time.

Juan Mata: N/A

Good to see him return from a mystery absence. Saw out the final nine minutes and opens the door for his involvement against Newcastle on Sunday.

Manager

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: 10/10

Went with perhaps a stronger starting XI than most fans were expecting but the gamble paid off. United essentially put the tie to bed with four away goals to take back to Old Trafford. Of course, that plan only makes sense if Rashford and Bruno are actually rested in the second leg. Made some fans upset over the lack of playing time for Amad/Shoretire but the latter was never going to play (just gaining the experience) and it was always unlikely for the former to play much more than 10 minutes. United needed to see out the match and a quick goal or two could have made the second leg contestable. Brought Amad on when the risk was right.