Chido Obi dazzled, but a second generational talent stole the show for the U21s vs Barnsley

Manchester United u21s couldn’t keep up the pace after a red card in the second half as they fell to defeat away to Barnsley in the EFL Trophy. But promising signs were shown on a level playing field.

Here are our player ratings for the match. Read the detailed match report of all the action here.

(A score of 6 is around average)

Ratings

Will Murdock – 5 – A ropey start to the match saw him misjudge a corner delivery and then a poor decision on the ball led to Barnsley’s penalty to keep them in the match at the break. All in all it was a night to forget for the young keeper.

Yuel Helafu – 6 – A decent performance on his u21s debut despite coming up against experienced opposition. Did really well pushing inside to support the midfield which freed up a lot of space for Lacey on the right wing. A couple of poor touches to run the ball out of play showed the nerves were there, but he can be happy with his performance before coming off with a knock.

Tyler Fredricson – 5 – Started the match good with some physical challenges to show that he was up for it against senior opposition and finished the match with the most defensive actions. But he allowed McGoldrick to get the better of him in the important moments in the second half, failing to track the movement of the experienced striker.

Dan Armer – 5 – Like Fredricson, he had a decent first half and wasn’t bad on the ball but he really struggled with runs in behind. Particularly in the second half when McGoldrick pushed forward to lead the line, Armer was no match for the Irishman’s movement off the shoulder. He also conceded the penalty, although Murdock didn’t do him any favours leading up to it.

Diego Leon – 5.5 – In possession he made a couple of good runs but didn’t link well with his teammates and often overran the ball. Defensively he made two good recovery challenges but was caught out with poor marking at the back post on a few occasions.

Jacob Devaney – 6 – At the base of United’s midfield he passed the ball well, particularly a few cross field passes to Lacey. A bad slip in midfield saw him lose the ball for Barnsley’s second goal.

Tyler Fletcher – 6.5 – A well rounded performance, he handled the physicality well and covered a lot of ground while feeding the front line.

Shea Lacey – 7 – Started the match shaky with a poor touch out of bounds and then slipped when attempting a cross field pass but he soon found his footing. Putting himself about with some physical challenges, he showed he was a step closer to being ready for senior football. He stretched the play on the right wing and isolated his fullback to drive into the box and put in crosses. He ultimately could have done better with his final product, having two tame shots saved, but he came away with an assist.

Jack Fletcher – 6.5 – Had a good performance before getting sent off for dissent. He opened the scoring and came close to having another late in the first half with a good long range effort. His passing and runs through midfield were the provider for a lot of United’s openings in the first half and he rarely misplaced the ball.

Bendito Mantato – 5 – Had a couple of nice one-touch passes early on, but fizzled out of the match with little threat outside of a couple of crosses and struggled in the physical duels. Moved to left back later in the second half and lost his man for Barnsley’s fourth goal.

Chido Obi – 7.5 – His pressing from the front was a constant source of danger as he didn’t let the Barnsley backline rest. It was that pressing which saw him assist Jack Fletcher for United’s opener and then he took his goal excellently in the second half from a wide angle.

Substitutes

Finley McAllister – 6 – Came on out of position at right back and United were down a man for the majority of his time on the pitch, but he was the most composed in the backline. Made a few clearances and tackles for a solid display.

James Scanlon – 5.5 – Had little impact and struggled to keep hold of the ball.

Gabriele Biancheri – N/A – Didn’t have much opportunity to make an impact but held the ball up well with a nice layoff pass.

Jayce Fitzgerald – N/A – Came on with the match already done but kept possession well.

Featured image Matt McNulty via Getty Images

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