Erik ten Hag’s side have made a steady improvement in the Premier League after a dire start – who has shone brightest and who needs to step up?

What’s that noise in the distance? It’s the sound of Manchester United’s quiet resurgence. After making their worst start to a season since 1989, the Red Devils are back on track.

At times it has felt like they have been crawling their way back rather than being on the march, but the statistics don’t lie: Erik ten Hag’s side are the most in-form team in the Premier League, with five wins in their last six matches. They have climbed from 10th up to sixth, just six points behind leaders Arsenal and five from Manchester City.

United’s upturn in form in the league has been offset by disastrous defeats to Copenhagen in the Champions League and Newcastle in the Carabao Cup, but there is still a feeling of hope once more around Old Trafford.

United’s resurgence has flown under the radar largely because it has been built on defensive stability and led by the most unexpected of figures: Harry Maguire. United’s former captain has re-established himself as the team’s best defender and condemned Raphael Varane to the substitutes’ bench, striking up a fine partnership once again with Victor Lindelof.

The team have also been lifted by some moments of magic from Bruno Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho, who scored one of the goals of the season against Everton. With Luke Shaw making a welcome return and Kobbie Mainoo having a spectacular league debut after also coming back from a long injury lay-off, are United on the rise again?

GOAL has rated every Manchester United player’s performance so far this season to figure out who should be the frontrunners for the club’s Player of the Season award…

Previous update: October 23, 2023.

Getty Images27Altay Bayindir (N/A) ⬇️

The Turkish goalkeeper is yet to make his debut after joining from Fenerbahce and continued to be snubbed by Ten Hag in the Carabao Cup defeat by Newcastle.

Getty Images26Tyrell Malacia (N/A) ⬇️

The Dutch defender has been out injured all season but has returned to individual training.

Getty25Antony (2/10) ⬇️

Antony’s already disappointing United career took a turn for the worse when his alleged violent behaviour towards women exposed a very troubling aspect of his personality and plunged the club into another off-field crisis, just when they thought they had put the Mason Greenwood saga behind them.

United gave the £85m ($105m) winger a leave of absence to deal with the accusations and since returning he has looked even worse. The Brazilian slows down the team’s play and is so predictable for opposing defenders. He still has no goal contributions in his eight starts and seems to be on a completely different page to his team-mates.

He made his first start since returning against Sheffield United and it was more of the same: lots of running and cutting inside, but no end product. When he picked up a knock and missed the Everton game, it was a blessing in disguise.

Getty24Jadon Sancho (2/10) ⬇️

Sancho looked bright in pre-season playing as a false nine, but once the competitive matches began he was back on the bench, offering little of note in his cameos against Wolves, Spurs and Forest. He then took centre-stage for the wrong reasons after being left out of the squad against Arsenal, lashing out at Ten Hag after the manager had criticised his performances in training.

His refusal to apologise to the manager has left him training away from his team-mates and completely out of the picture. He now looks set to leave United in January.

Whatever is going on behind the scenes, Sancho has not shown the maturity he needs to turn his stalling career around.

• Getty Images23Casemiro (3/10) ⬇️The Brazilian’s sharp decline has been a huge concern for United. He was the talisman of last season and gave the team the lift they urgently needed with commanding performances in the middle. But he has looked shorn of his usual power and influence.

  He was badly exposed against Wolves and had a topsy-turvy performance against Forest: he was nowhere to be seen in the dire opening spell but then helped lead the fightback. He was overwhelmed against Brighton, Crystal Palace and Galatasaray, getting sent off in the latter.

  The 31-year-old picked up a hamstring injury against Newcastle which has ruled him out until the new year. Last season that would have been viewed as a tragedy, but instead the news was met with indifference, a sign of how much his form has dropped off.

  Getty22Lisandro Martinez (3/10) ⬇️The World Cup-winning Argentine was one of United’s most important players last season until his campaign was wrecked by a horrific foot injury. The injury continued to affect him when he returned and he was one of United’s worst performers, with poor displays against Tottenham, Forest, Brighton and Bayern Munich.

  It then became apparent that he had not recovered properly from the injury and suffered a relapse, forcing him to have a second operation, ruling him out until 2024.

  Getty21Mason Mount (4/10) ⬇️Mount could hardly have had a worse start to his Manchester United career. The midfielder came with a £60-million price ($74m) price tag that many thought was inflated after a poor last campaign with Chelsea, and he produced few moments of excitement in pre-season, while it remained unclear exactly why Ten Hag wanted to sign him.

  His competitive debut against Wolves was hugely underwhelming as he created no chances and couldn’t even win a tackle or a duel. His second match against Tottenham was equally disappointing, and then he picked up a hamstring injury. He has gone under the radar since returning, with his best performance coming in the Carabao Cup win over Palace, where he got his only assist for the club.

  He has been discarded by Ten Hag for many games and just when he looked set for a run in the team after Eriksen’s injury, he sustained a calf problem, the latest negative episode of what is turning out to be a nightmare move.Getty20Marcus Rashford (4/10) ⬇️

  Rashford was United’s best player by a mile last season and his drop-off this campaign has been alarming. He was the best of a very bad bunch in the first few weeks of the campaign, but has gotten worse and worse.

  He has missed an alarming number of clear chances and just seems to lack confidence. He also harmed the team with a bad tackle away to Copenhagen, earning a straight red card which led to the Red Devils surrendering a 2-0 lead and losing 4-3.

  He finally ended his goal drought against Everton thanks to Fernandes giving him the penalty and hopefully that can help him recover his confidence, but he still has a long way to go to get back on track.

• Getty13Anthony Martial (5/10) ⬆️Martial’s United career is grinding towards its inevitable end and he has naturally been usurped in the starting XI by Rasmus Hojlund. However, he is not completely finished and can still prove a valuable impact substitute.

  His hold-up play has given United a foothold in games they have been struggling in, and they managed to rescue wins against Brentford and Sheffield United when he came on.

  And he gave a decisive display in a a rare start at Everton, winning the penalty and scoring his customary goal against the Toffees, who are his favourite opponents.

• Getty Images12Jonny Evans (5/10) ⬇️The veteran defender was a surprise signing over the summer but has rolled back the years and gave an astonishing performance in the vital win against Burnley, providing a dream assist to Fernandes.

  He was solid against Brentford and Sheffield United, but looked completely out of his depth in the 3-0 drubbing by City, showing his limitations. Has been out injured since the defeat at Copenhagen.

•  

  Getty Images19Sofyan Amrabat (4/10) ⬇️The Morocco international had to wait three weeks to make his debut following his loan switch from Fiorentina and his performances have been a mixed bag. He had a strong first start against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup in the unfamiliar position of left-back, but he was then exposed against the Eagles in the Premier League and in the shambolic 3-2 defeat by Galatasaray.

  Since returning to midfield, he has not improved significantly and seems to struggle with the intense pace of the Premier League, demonstrated by the fact Ten Hag has not given him more than 45 minutes of action in over a month, hooking him at half-time against Copenhagen and Manchester City.

  Getty18Sergio Reguilon (4/10) ⬇️Reguilon’s loan signing did not exactly lift the spirits of fans after he fell out of favour at Tottenham and had a truly forgettable season on loan at Atletico Madrid. However, the club did what they needed to do in the circumstances and at least he is a natural left-back in a team that is currently severely lacking them due to injuries.

  He has had a handful of good displays against weaker opponents such as Burnley and Luton, but has been repeatedly exposed defensively and his playing time will be further reduced now Shaw is back.

  (C)GettyImages17Raphael Varane (4/10) ⬇️The Frenchman looked like United’s only reliable defender early in the season, making huge contributions against Wolves and Forest.

  But his injury problems came back to haunt him, and since returning to action the serial winning veteran has had to endure the ignominy of losing his place in the team to Maguire.

  Getty Images16Hannibal Mejbri (4/10) ⬇️The Tunisian has not had many chances to show what he can do, and has struggled for consistency. He scored a stunning goal against Brighton and ran himself into the ground at Burnley, covering more ground than any United player since such records began being recorded.

  But he was dismal against Galatasaray and a disaster in the Carabao Cup defeat by Newcastle, showing serious problems with discipline.

  Getty15Aaron Wan-Bissaka (5/10) ⬇️Has looked as reliable as usual defensively but missed six weeks after injuring his hamstring against Brighton. Has rotated the right-back berth with Diogo Dalot since returning, being preferred against the tougher opponents due to his superior defensive ability, but discarded against the weaker sides.

  Getty Images14Facundo Pellistri (5/10) ⬆️The Uruguayan had a brief run in the side due to the problems with Antony and Sancho, making three starts within the space of a week. But he could not have much of an impact against Bayern Munich or Crystal Palace and then was not selected for the next six weeks.

  He has made some positive contributions in his last two outings as a substitute, however, setting up Fernandes’ winner at Fulham and working hard in defence and attack at Everton.

  Getty13Anthony Martial (5/10) ⬆️Martial’s United career is grinding towards its inevitable end and he has naturally been usurped in the starting XI by Rasmus Hojlund. However, he is not completely finished and can still prove a valuable impact substitute.

  His hold-up play has given United a foothold in games they have been struggling in, and they managed to rescue wins against Brentford and Sheffield United when he came on.

  And he gave a decisive display in a a rare start at Everton, winning the penalty and scoring his customary goal against the Toffees, who are his favourite opponents.

  Getty Images12Jonny Evans (5/10) ⬇️The veteran defender was a surprise signing over the summer but has rolled back the years and gave an astonishing performance in the vital win against Burnley, providing a dream assist to Fernandes.

  He was solid against Brentford and Sheffield United, but looked completely out of his depth in the 3-0 drubbing by City, showing his limitations. Has been out injured since the defeat at Copenhagen.

• Getty11Victor Lindelof (6/10) ⬆️The Swede made a decent start to the campaign, but then had his fair share of horror-shows against Brighton, Galatasaray and Brentford. He was forced to deputise at left-back due to United’s chronic injury problems and found it very tough, particularly in the 3-0 defeat by Manchester City.

  He has put those performances behind him lately, however, and reclaimed his place in the starting XI, overtaking Varane in the pecking order. Lindelof scored the only goal of the game against Luton and recovered from some hairy moments against Everton to help United keep a clean sheet, making a goal-line clearance late on.

• GETTY10Luke Shaw (6/10) ⬆️Struggled when asked to push into midfield against Wolves, an experiment which only lasted about 45 minutes. Was one of the better performers against Tottenham but ended the game with a bad muscle injury which ruled him out for several months and compelled the club to make an emergency loan move for Reguilon.

  United badly missed his experience and leadership, and he gave Ten Hag a huge boost when he returned against Everton, helping the team to their biggest win of the season.

• Getty Images9Christian Eriksen (6/10) ⬇️The Dane started most games last season before being the first player to come off after getting worn out. The opposite has been the case this term: Eriksen routinely starts on the bench and is then the first player Ten Hag looks to when things start going wrong.

  He came to United’s rescue in the first game against Wolves, giving the team some much needed stability in midfield after they had been overrun. He sparked the fightback against Forest with a goal while a clever through ball to Rashford set up the opening strike against Arsenal, and he fed Hojlund with some wonderful passes against Galatasaray.

  His lack of energy continues to hold him back though, particularly when United are on the backfoot. He is out until December after injuring his knee against Luton.

• Getty Images8Scott McTominay (6/10) ⬇️The Scotland midfielder was used sparingly by Ten Hag until his heroic cameo against Brentford, when he scored twice in added-time to turn a disastrous defeat into an epic win.

  He followed it up by scoring a half-volley against Sheffield United, but has not been able to build on the momentum, despite being encouraged to get forward more often.

• Getty7Diogo Dalot (6/10) ⬆️The Portuguese has had an up-and-down campaign but has really improved in recent weeks. He has turned into one of United’s most creative players, scoring the stunning winner at Sheffield United and setting up Garnacho’s awesome goal at Everton.

  He has also improved a lot defensively, meaning he has a slight advantage over Wan-Bissaka in the battle for the right-back berth.

• Getty Images6Rasmus Hojlund (6/10) ⬇️Hojlund had to wait a month to make his debut after his £72m ($89m) move from Atalanta due to a back injury, but has had a real impact, especially in the Champions League. The Dane scored against Bayern Munich then brought back memories of Ruud van Nistelrooy with two goals against Galatasaray. He also struck twice away to Copenhagen, the club who let him go as a youngster.

  However, he is still waiting to score his first goal in the Premier League, which is getting harder and harder to ignore. When he returns from injury, he must make it a priority to get off the mark.

• Getty5Kobbie Mainoo (7/10) 🌟Mainoo was set for a big role in Ten Hag’s side after a hugely impressive pre-season campaign. but he had the misfortune to suffer a freak ankle injury against Real Madrid in the United States.

  Almost four months later, the 18-year-old finally made his full Premier League debut against Everton and it was more than worth the wait. The midfielder was a serene presence, always wanting the ball and moving it about with purpose. As well as giving United more control in possession, he made a goal-saving clearance off the line.

  If he can stay injury free and build on his debut display, he could be a transformative player for United.

• Getty Images4Andre Onana (7/10) ⬆️The Cameroon international was one of the most intriguing signings of the summer and was tasked with transforming United’s style of play after 12 years of David de Gea’s timid playing out from the back.

  He had a disastrous start to life at Old Trafford, with huge errors against Bayern Munich and Galatasaray and sloppy goalkeeping against Brentford and Nottingham Forest, but has staged his own comeback lately.

  Onana made some important saves against Sheffield United and then got the team out of jail with his last-gasp penalty save against Copenhagen. He was also outstanding against Everton and now looks much more like the imposing presence who took Inter to last season’s Champions League final.

• Getty3Alejandro Garnacho (7/10) ⬆️The Argentine has had a difficult second season in the first team after a stunning breakthrough campaign and on several occasions gave flat performances which merely underlined why he is often regarded as a super-sub and not yet a regular starter.

  However, he has had a regular run in the team lately and repaid Ten Hag’s faith by scoring an outlandish bicycle kick against Everton which already looks like being the Goal of the Season. His technique showed that he has the potential to be one of the best players in the world, and United must nurture his talent to ensure he fulfils his destiny.

  Getty2Bruno Fernandes (7/10) ⬆️The Portuguese has had a mixed campaign, receiving lots of criticism for his complaining and not delivering on the biggest occasions. But he has also bailed out United with some moments of brilliance against Burnley and Fulham.

  He also showed some leadership by giving Rashford the penalty against Everton in a bid to lift his team-mate’s confidence when he could have taken it himself to boost his own goal tally.

  Getty Images1Harry Maguire (9/10) ⬆️After a summer move to West Ham fell through, the former captain was reduced to sitting on the bench and faced taunts from rival fans as well as a stream of abuse on social media.

  However, the injury to Martinez gave him a new lease of life and he has been a truly commanding presence in the last two months, giving United much-needed stability at the back.

  He also showed off-the-pitch leadership in the aftermath of Sir Bobby Charlton’s death, showing the skills he had learned when he skippered the club by speaking with dignity about the late forward’s legacy. Fittingly, he scored the crucial goal against Copenhagen just days after Charlton had passed away.

  The fact he has usurped Varane as the first-choice centre-back underlines how remarkable his recovery has been and vindicated his decision to stay and fight for his place.