Don Hutchison has claimed that Marcus Rashford starting for Manchester United over Cristiano Ronaldo against Arsenal will ’cause more damage’ to Mikel Arteta’s two centre-backs, as he told BBC Radio 5 Live Sport.
The former midfielder added that he also expects Casemiro to earn his first start as Manchester United host Arsenal at Old Trafford in an old classic in the Premier League.
Both teams go into the game on top form, with the Gunners sitting top of the Premier League table and the only team with a 100% start to the new season.
And despite Erik ten Hag starting life as Manchester United boss with two morale-sapping defeats, it has since started to turn, with three consecutive wins to his name, including beating Liverpool.
Ronaldo is yet to start a game this season and ten Hag will have a big call to make on whether or not to include him against a team he scored against, both home and away, last season.
But Hutchison feels that Rashford will get ‘more joy’ from playing against Arsenal’s backline, than the 37-year-old Ronaldo.
“I expect Casemiro to start against Arsenal,” said Hutchison. “The Ronaldo one is a contradiction because it goes against what ten Hag wants to play.
“It’s a classic case of if Ronaldo knocks on the manager’s door and says ‘Gaffer, I am desperate to play against Arsenal, play me’ and the manager goes ‘we have just won three on the spin. I can’t change a winning side. I can’t drop Rashford, Sancho or Elanga’.
“He might go back to the style they played against Liverpool on the counter-attack because Marcus Rashford looked electric.
“The way I see it, Marcus Rashford is in a two-way battle between him and Ronaldo as to who starts – if we asked who is going to get more joy from the two centre-halves of Arsenal? Playing up against say Gabriel, is it going to be the pace of Marcus Rashford or will it be Ronaldo?
“I would see it as Rashford being favourite to play against that opposition and those two players – It would do more damage.”
CAN ARSENAL SEND OUT ANOTHER SIGNAL OF INTENT?
Whilst things have picked up for Manchester United, there is still a lot of clearing up to do for ten Hag and they are behind in their project compared to Arteta.
Saying that, if the Gunners can secure all three points at Old Trafford, then it would be another signal of intent because they are beating one of the big boys.
Added with that, Arsenal’s midfield will also be severely tested, a lot more than it was against Aston Villa in midweek because they might just come up against the experienced world-class performer and Man United’s £60 million summer signing (Sky Sports) Casemiro.
Ten Hag has bedded him in during these past few weeks and if he starts, then the likes of Albert Sambi Lokonga, Granit Xhaka and Martin Odegaard have a real battle on their hands.
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