90min

Man Utd's best & worst performing players of the month - January 2022

By Matt O'Connor-Simpson

United have picked up some big results but performances have been lacklustre
United have picked up some big results but performances have been lacklustre / OLI SCARFF/GettyImages
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Looking at results alone, Manchester United's January has not actually been that bad.

One defeat in five games - a run which also included three wins - is not mind-blowing form, but neither is it cause for those in charge to start scrambling to panic stations.

However, look beyond the results and the Red Devils are not in a great place. They seem no closer to resembling the high-octane pressing team Ralf Rangnick's arrival seemed to promise, and across the pitch performances have been underwhelming.

They kicked off the New Year in the worst possible way, losing 1-0 to Wolves in a game they really should have conceded more in.

Successive showdowns against Aston Villa - an FA Cup win and a Premier League draw, following a spectacular second-half collapse - followed, before they saw off January with far-from-convincing victories over Bretford and West Ham.

Here is a closer look of all the winners and losers for United this month...

1. Best performance of the month

David de Gea
De Gea has had a great month / Visionhaus/GettyImages

Player: David de Gea
Game: Man Utd 1-0 Aston Villa (10 January, 2022 - FA Cup)
Rating: 8/10

What we said: "Busy throughout and was ultimately the reason his team won the tie."

2. Worst performances of the month

Marcus Rashford
Rashford really struggled against Villa / Clive Brunskill/GettyImages

Player: Bruno Fernandes
Game: Man Utd 1-0 Aston Villa (10 January, 2022 - FA Cup)
Rating: 3/10

What we said: "Not enough impact on the game. Poor with his final pass that caused chances to disappear more than once."

Player: Marcus Rashford
Game: Man Utd 1-0 Aston Villa (10 January, 2022 - FA Cup)
Rating: 3/10

What we said: "Looked eager to impress when he got on the ball in the early stages but it didn't last. His night was characterised by letting Martinez recover a fumble instead of challenging for the ball."

3. Man Utd's best player of the month

David De Gea
Who else? / Laurence Griffiths/GettyImages

Player: David de Gea
Average rating: 7.4
Best performance: Man Utd vs Aston Villa, Brentford vs Man Utd, Man Utd vs Wolves - 8

United have sometimes attracted criticism for the amount of money they pay David de Gea every week.

However, over the past month, his importance to this team was made explicitly clear. With a less miraculous keeper between the sticks, the Red Devils' string of underwhelming performances would have had an even more disastrous effect on their league position and domestic cup hopes.

Because of De Gea, they managed to eke out enough points to remain in the Champions League places as well as a set up an FA Cup tie against lower-league opposition.

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