After a miserable start to the season, Manchester United will be looking to improve greatly when they return to the domestic schedule the following week.
Erik ten Hag is now under some pressure because of it, and if the board decides to take a different course and the results and performances don’t improve, the Dutchman might search for another role.
To be fair, a number of the first team’s veteran players are disappointing him since they haven’t played well this season.
With just four Premier League goals between them this season, Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, Anthony Martial, Antony, and Rasmus Hojlund are not talented enough to launch a title challenge since they have not consistently scored goals.
Could Ten Hag introduce a youthful player into the starting lineup who has a good rapport with Hojlund? Mateo Mejia has excelled in the academy this term, and the Danish ace may find him to be an exciting partner.
The juvenile statistics of Mateo Mejia
The 20-year-old was a promising young winger when he moved from Real Zaragoza to Manchester in 2019. Broadcaster Bolarinwa Olajide even called him a “wonderkid” when he first arrived.
His efforts this season have taken him to a new level. In 32 games for the club’s younger teams, he scored six goals and recorded eight assists.
Mejia has three goals and four assists in 11 games played thus far. The right winger is even outperforming senior player Antony in terms of goal contributions this season, since the Brazilian has scored zero.
Ten Hag may be allowed to use the young Colombian striker in the first squad in the upcoming months because of his obvious explosiveness as a right wing threat. His impressive academy record also stands in stark contrast to the underwhelming experience of the other players.
Mateo Mejia and Rasmus Hojlund may make a fantastic duo.
The Dane has scored five goals in just four Champions League games, showing that he is a different player in the Premier League.
In fact, he’s
Mejia has demonstrated that he is capable of scoring goals on his own and providing lots of assists to his teammates. He may be able to collaborate well with Hojlund by often feeding him passes.
In the three EFL Trophy games the Spaniard has participated in this season, he has averaged 1.3 critical passes per game, completed 50% of his attempted dribbles, and completed 50% of his attempted crosses.
These numbers demonstrate that, despite his lack of experience, he seems capable of competing with the pros if given the opportunity.
Mejia has more goals and assists than Antony even if he’s not quite the polished product.