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The United midfield pair were at the crux of their side's issues as they were hammered 4-1 by Borussia Dortmund in the ICC on Friday, and cannot guarantee their futures.
Paul Pogba’s imminent arrival at Old Trafford has most Manchester United fans purring at the possibilities in the season ahead, but Friday’s 4-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the International Champions Cup will serve as a reminder that the Frenchman cannot do everything himself.
While United wait on the returns of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin, and gave Michael Carrick a night off, Ander Herrera and Daley Blind were handed midfield starts against the Germans in an effort to provide them with a stage on which they could show their worth in the engine room.
But this just might have been one of those nights on which Jose Mourinho made greater conclusions about who does not fit in his Manchester United vision than who does, as Herrera and Blind were overrun by a half-paced Dortmund side as the Red Devils began their ICC campaign with a chastening loss.
Yes, the sweltering Shanghai heat did nobody any favours, and Dortmund were coming off the back of four pre-season run-outs to United’s one. But two players fighting for their Old Trafford careers could have done far more to present a case for continuation than they did here.
They were not the only ones off the pace, with Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo also noticeably out of match rhythm, but Pogba’s arrival will demand a greater thirst for work in the midfield department than either Herrera or Blind was able to offer.
A player of Pogba’s quality must be supplemented by people willing to work and close down space just as much as by players of technical quality. Juventus began to prepare for their 2016-17 by adding Miralem Pjanic to Sami Khedira in the midfield ranks alongside the 23-year-old. United, unfortunately, didn’t have anything like that talent on display in Shanghai.
Former Bayern Munich reserve Sebastian Rode enjoyed a field day up against United’s central midfield duo, making the most of the huge amounts of time and space which he was granted far too often. He was able to dictate the tempo on a night when the team setting the rhythm were always going to come out on top.
Herrera started only 17 league games last term, while Blind was used as a centre-back by Louis van Gaal. Both will find competition for places a tough hurdle to overcome this term whether Pogba were to arrive or not. The Dutchman could well fill in as a centre-back at some point, but Mourinho has made it clear that he prefers specialists and Blind’s primary position will be that of a midfielder. If he wants to be involved in more than just a few Europa League games, he needs to prove he can be a regular in the heart of the side.
The Spaniard later explained to MUTV that the lack of comparative match practice made a big difference.
“They are a very good team and they have played already four games. When you have played four games you are fitter, you are better, but having got minutes in our legs we are satisfied," he said.
“We missed some chances just from having arrived one second later.”
There were some positives, despite the result. Henrikh Mkhitaryan grabbed a first goal in United colours against his old club, Luke Shaw’s recovery continued with a competent 90-minute display, and Marcus Rashford’s second-half introduction gave United a sharper look in the final third.
But it is the negatives which will live longer in the memory from Friday, and Herrera and Blind are among the players with one less game to prove their worth before the Premier League season comes around.
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