Saha names ‘one shining light’ at Man Utd this season; singles out ‘concern’ and rates Hojlund, Onana
Former Mancheser United striker Louis Saha insists Sergio Reguilon has been the “one shining light” for the Red Devils “in recent weeks.
There have been few positives for Man Utd in the first weeks of the season with off-field matters overshadowing performances on the pitch, while they have won three and lost three of their first six Premier League matches.
Jadon Sancho and Erik ten Hag have fallen out over the Man Utd winger’s performances in training, while Antony has been given a leave of absence to address allegations made against him of violence towards women.
One positive has been the performances of Reguilon – who signed on loan from Tottenham until the end of the season – with Saha claiming the Man Utd left-back’s team-mates “could learn from him”.
Saha told BettingOdds.com: “Reguilon has started very well, he’s been dedicated going forward and doing his job defensively. My major concern is that he has been the one shining light in this United side in recent weeks.
“It’s a symbol that something is wrong at United, but respect to Reguilon, he’s working hard for the team, playing with energy and aggressiveness. His teammates could learn from him and follow his lead.”
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Man Utd summer signing Andre Onana has already come in for some criticism this season after replacing David de Gea at Old Trafford.
On his first impressions of Onana, Saha added: “There are moments where he is on his line too much or too forward, but he is just adapting to the new club he is at, he needs time. Whatever David provided over the years, he made mistakes as well, people make mistakes.
“I’m sure he has the mentality to bounce straight back and he had a decent performance against Burnley, he didn’t concede and that will do wonders for his confidence.
“He did an interview after the Bayern game and he doesn’t hide from it, so you can see he has the mentality for it. I feel like sometimes he’s delaying going forward too much when the ball is at his feet, I feel like he just needs to be a bit quicker in his delivery.”
Casemiro’s performances haven’t been anywhere near the heights of last season and Saha admits the Man Utd midfielder’s displays are a “concern”.
Saha continued: “It’s a concern, we speak about Casemiro because of how good he was last year and how big his impact was, these are the players that are powerful and aggressive and at the moment, it’s not there.
“I think technically stuff has dropped at Manchester United and that’s not just for Casemiro. The team doesn’t link together at the moment and the midfield is at the heart of that. I think it’s unfair that Casemiro is the only one being targeted, for me it’s the whole midfield.”
When asked what he thought about Rasmus Hojlund’s start at Man Utd, Saha replied: “Hojlund’s had a good start. He will need to keep adapting to the Premier League but he’s very strong and quick and he will start to finish his chances soon I’m sure.
“This boy has great potential and the profile to really help this team. He’s aggressive, powerful, makes good runs and he’s quick. He just needs to gain an understanding with his teammates I’m confident he will be a valuable asset for United. I’m very excited about him and I think he’s a great signing.”
