“Only thing I’m requesting from him is to silent Cole Palmer and if he fails, he’ll be suspended…We must win by all means”: Ruud van Nistelrooy names ONE Man United’s player who he has instructed to silent Cole Palmer or face suspension
At approximately 5:39 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey’s seismographs detected a global tremor.
After careful investigation, the epicenter of the temblor was found to be southwest of the center of Manchester, England — specifically on Matt Busby Way.
It was the sound of tens of thousands of Manchester United faithful breathing a gigantic sigh of relief after the Red Devils’ 5-2 Carabao Cup win over Leicester City, officially signaling the end of the Erik Ten Hag era.
Now come the serious questions. Was Man United’s victory a singular release of joy and verve, or the true sign of a brighter future? Will interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy even be on the touchline when United face Chelsea Sunday? (Kickoff time and viewing details below.) Will Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim be installed in time?
Despite the current good vibes at Old Trafford, the reality is the club is still a mess. They are mired in 14th place in the table, and their points total is as close to the relegation zone as it is to fourth-place Aston Villa.
In the Premier League, they’ve won just three times — and those wins came against ninth-place Brentford, 10th-place Fulham and last-place Southampton.
On the bright side for United, Alejandro Garnacho finally seems somewhat comfortable wearing the mantle of star. He’s played well in four of his last five matches, with a goal against Brentford on Oct. 19 and a goal and assist against Leicester in the Carabao Cup.
In United’s 1-1 draw against Fenerbahce in the Europa League on Oct. 24, the 20-year-old managed just two shots but helped his team in other ways. He completed 85 percent of his 20 passes and won seven of his 12 ground duels.
Chelsea and Cole Palmer riding high
Garnacho will need to be at the top of his game against a vigorous Chelsea side that has won eight of 10 in all competitions. They sit fifth in the table, one point behind Aston Villa and Arsenal.
In their last Premier League outing against Newcastle, in the 18th minute, the Blues’ Cole Palmer recorded a hockey assist on a beautiful long pass to a streaking Pedro Neto, who slid the ball across to Nicolas Jackson for the breakaway goal.
After Newcastle tied it, Palmer again came to the fore. Just after halftime, he picked up the ball near the halfway line, drove into the box and fired a guided missile past Nick Pope for the go-ahead goal in Chelsea’s 2-1 win.
Just three days later, Blues’ manager Enzo Maresca rotated his squad against Newcastle in the Carabao Cup and lost 2-0.
Palmer has been a revelation this season. The 22-year old has seven goals and five assists in 11 matches.
