The Ralf Rangnick era is under way and has an unlikely first hero, though perhaps a fitting one too. If this interim interregnum is all about taking players who appeared broken under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and repairing, repurposing and restoring them, then who better to get things going than Fred?
The much-maligned Manchester United midfielder was injuring his own goalkeeper on this ground only three days ago. Now, on the occasion of Rangnick’s first game in temporary charge, he was a match-winner, serenaded to a Joy Division tune by those still sat in the Stretford End while doing his post-match media duties. David de Gea’s ankles aren’t the only thing he is tearing apart now.
You can add a stubborn though largely second-best Crystal Palace to that list. Patrick Vieira’s side held out for 77 minutes only to be defeated by Fred’s uncharacteristically spectacular strike from range. This could all have taken on a very complexion if Jordan Ayew had converted one of this game’s few genuine chances just minutes earlier but, even so, it was a win that United just about deserved. Full report by Mark Critchley here.
Follow all the fallout from the game, the first look at United under Rangnick.
