It was a tough task for Memphis to step up in place of Anthony Martial and Wayne Rooney ahead of the Watford game on Saturday.
Many of his doubters were silenced as he brilliantly volleyed in the first goal of the game and sent United on their way to a 2-1 victory over the Hornets.
Prior to the match, Van Gaal had expressed his urge for Memphis to step up his performances, and the Dutchman put in a solid display that may see him step in alongside Martial for the game against PSV.
Both are quick and are very good with the ball at their feet. We saw Memphis score an excellent goal against his former club when the sides last met, which combined fantastic footwork and a cool finish to put his side 1-0 up in a game that they ultimately went on to lose.
Will LvG decide to bring the number 7 into a more central role though, similar to how he played against Watford?
Martial is better as a striker than he is a winger, so I think swapping the two youngsters around isn’t the answer, it’d just seem a bit of a pointless change.
Memphis could play just in behind the French forward, similar to what we saw Lingard do with Memphis in the last match, and what we’ve seen Martial and Rooney do on numerous occasions.
I think it could work for United, Martial does well at holding the ball up, but currently he’s struggled to be able to do much with it. Rooney hasn’t had the pace he used to have in recent games, so bringing Memphis in might be able to provide the speed that will test the PSV defence.
Either way I think the 21-year-old Dutch international has to start in the Champions League game. Whether he’s on the wing or in the middle he has performed well in Europe so far and another goal could be just what he needs to boost his confidence.
If the partnership does work then it’ll be interesting to see what happens when Rooney returns from fitness, will van Gaal play him, or will we see England’s top goalscorer dropped to the bench?
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