The rain lashed down in almost biblical fashion at Blundell Park on Wednesday evening, yet there was to be no messiah for Manchester United, as League Two minnows Grimsby Town deservedly edged into the Carabao Cup Third Round.
Ruben Amorim – looking less and less like the Red Devils’ saviour – could hardly watch as his expensively assembled side crashed out on penalties, having only briefly spared their blushes with a late fightback in normal time.
£74m signing Benjamin Sesko had even come agonisingly close to snatching a winner at the death, although that scenario would have been deeply unfair on a home side who outfought and outmanoeuvred their opponents throughout the 90-minute affair.
Four times the ball was in Andre Onana’s net – the last of those ruled out in somewhat contentious circumstances – with that fact alone emphasising just what a bruising night it was for the men in red.
Yes, there have been flashes of positivity in recent weeks, but Wednesday’s result may well have extinguished all that. A new nadir in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era has been reached.
Just where do the Old Trafford side go from here?
Andre Onana takes the blame again
The best place to start, in the post-mortem that is to follow, would be the signing of a new starting goalkeeper. Royal Antwerp’s Senne Lammens appears to be the INEOS pick, although at just 22, the young stopper appears yet another gamble for the United hierarchy.
Chalkboard
Whatever the Belgian’s credentials, however, he could arguably do little worse than United’s current crop, with the aforementioned Onana failing miserably to take his chance following his return to the starting lineup.
Altay Bayindir – the man at fault for Arsenal’s strike on the opening weekend – has been shaky enough in recent weeks, although Onana’s performance takes the biscuit, with the Cameroonian arguably to blame for both of Grimsby’s goals on the night.
Having failed to keep out Charles Vernam’s early effort at the near post, the 29-year-old then compounded that error by needlessly racing out of his goal just eight minutes later, allowing Tyrell Warren to prod home into the empty net.
Even in the ensuing shootout, the former Inter Milan man – who had looked nervy from the off after flapping at an early inswinging corner – could only produce a solitary, albeit impressive spot-kick save, despite repeatedly getting his hand to the ball.
After making five errors in all competitions last term, as per Sofascore, the reported West Ham United target has picked up where he left off, with it perhaps easy to see why Amorim has been hesitant to reinstate him on the Premier League front thus far.
An exit for the £47.2m man now appears an inevitability, be it this week, or in 2026, with teammate Manuel Ugarte perhaps among those who should well join him in the departure lounge.
Manuel Ugarte's dismal display vs Grimsby
On a night that began with the talk centred around the future of a certain Kobbie Mainoo, it was telling that the United boss opted to replace Ugarte instead at the break, with the Uruguayan yet again failing to convince.
While passes went astray, there was purpose and poise to Mainoo’s game, with the academy starlet notably picking out Bryan Mbeumo to kickstart the comeback. His penalty was also dispatched with aplomb.
The same cannot be said for Ugarte, however, with the ex-Paris Saint-Germain man again looking uneasy in the centre of the park, having lost the ball on five occasions from his 44-touch cameo, while also failing to provide a single key pass.
Minutes played
45
Touches
44
Pass accuracy
88%
Key passes
0
Successful dribbles
1/2
Ground duels
2/4
Aerial duels
2/3
Possession lost
5x
Fouls
1
An unused substitute in the Bilbao showpiece back in May, the 24-year-old’s stock already looked to have plummeted heading into the summer, with Wednesday’s outing providing a further reminder of his deficiencies.
Despite only arriving under the INEOS regime last summer, it looks as if the former Sporting CP midfielder – who worked under Amorim in Lisbon – is now on borrowed time, with MEN journalist Samuel Luckhurst claiming that ‘people at the club are giving up on him’.
Hooked at the break following what Luckhurst noted to be just a 2/10 worthy performance, Ugarte appears to have a mountain to climb to revive his United fortunes, with both he and Onana having been “absolutely useless” against the Mariners, as per writer Muhammad Butt.
While there is little doubting his physical capacity, having ranked in the top 6% of Premier League midfielders in 2024/25 for tackles won, as per FBref, his woes on the ball are plain to see, not least when considering he ranked in just the bottom 18% for progressive passes and the bottom 23% for progressive carries per 90.
A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters closer to the opponent’s goal or any completed pass into the penalty area.
Having already been acquired at the expense of one academy hero in Scott McTominay, the £50m man must surely not be prioritised over another homegrown talent such as Mainoo.
If there was to be any shining light from an evening that put the grim in Grimsby, then it should hopefully be the realisation for Amorim and his staff regarding which United midfielder actually needs to make way before the deadline…
