What to do with Manchester United assets in FPL

The International break is a great opportunity to reflect and to get some long-term planning underway. With that in mind and considering their popularity, we look into what to with the Manchester United assets in FPL.

What to do with Manchester United assets in FPL is a very hot topic within the fantasy football community. Because of that we utilise the Fantasy Football Scout members area to access the fixture ticker and underlying stats to come to a conclusion.

The Manchester United fixtures

Firstly it could be important to highlight the Manchester United fixtures moving forward. The Reds rank fifth from bottom which indicates they have some of the worst fixtures in the league over the next six Gameweeks.

Manchester United may face Manchester City and Newcastle but they also face Sheffield United, Fulham, Luton and Everton in the same period – all four teams ranks as some of the worst in terms of both offensive and defensive stats so far this season.

The fixture ticker doesn’t just identify poor fixture runs but it also emphasises teams with a good run of fixtures. 15 other teams in the league have a better schedule ahead than Manchester United and those same teams could offer up alternative options with better fixtures, better form and who are potentially considerably cheaper.

The Manchester United form

Its been a tough start to the season for the Reds. After eight matches they sit 10th in the league. In their last five league games they have lost three and won two which highlights their inconsistency. They have also scored just nine goals and conceded 12.

In terms of their defensive data Manchester United sit mid-table for a lot of the key statistics. Those data points include goals conceded, clean sheets kept, shots on target conceded and expected goals conceded.

In regards to their attacking data, it’s a mixed bag for Manchester United ranking mid-table for goals scored, top five for attempts on goal, top five for shots in the box, mid-table for big chances total, mid-table for shots on target and mid-table for expected goals.

Two of Manchester United’ most popular assets include midfielder Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes so it could be worth focusing on them.

Marcus Rashford

Marcus Rashford has been a shadow of his former self so far this season. To compare form, last season Rashford (£8.8m) managed a huge 205 points largely due to 17 goals and seven assists. In the eight matches he has played so far Rashford has collected just one goal and two assists.

Rashford hasn’t been short in the data department however. Amongst all players in the league so far he sits second best for attempts on goal (31), joint second best for shots in the box (24) and just outside the top 10 for non-penalty expected goal involvement (4.12).

One worrying sign for Rashford is that he has been substituted before the 70th minute in both of his last two matches which could be reflective of his form.

Bruno Fernandes

Bruno Fernandes (£8.4m) wasn’t as successful as his teammate in the 22/23 season but he still had a brilliant FPL campaign. In fact, Fernandes collected 172 points last season due to scoring eight goals and registering nine assists.

This season, in the eight matches he’s played so far he’s managed just two goals and one assist. He is also maintaining some great underlying offensive data this season ranking joint fifth best for total attempts on goals (25), third best for chances created (22), joint third for big chances created (five) and fourth best for non-penalty expected goal involvement (5.04).

Two more significant factors when focusing on Fernandes is that whilst his teammate has been substituted off early Fernandes has not. In fact, the Portuguese international has played 90 minutes in both of his sides last two matches. Fernandes also takes the Manchester United penalties.

Sheffield United up next

Before making any decisions about the Manchester United assets it is important that we remember they face Sheffield United next up. The Blades sit rock bottom in the league with one point after conceding a huge 22 goals already.

Sheffield United have started badly but their data also backs that up. In fact, amongst all teams they rank the worst for goals conceded, the worst for attempts on goal conceded (176), the worst for shots on target conceded (66) and the worst for big chances conceded (32).

Conclusion

Manchester United have started the season well below fantasy managers expectations. Not only have they been inconsistent but it’s also having a negative affect on their assets. The Reds have torrid fixtures ahead when compared to most other sides in the league which suggests there are also better alternatives with better fixtures elsewhere.

Marcus Rashford is sustaining good underlying data but his minutes have been managed lately which is a huge concern even ahead of Sheffield United. In comparison, Bruno Fernandes is maintaining some very strong data, is playing full matches and takes penalties. Both could be worth holding onto this week as they come up against the worst defence in the league. However, after that, it could be wise to sell both long term.