Manchester United may have another Juan Mata after turbulent Atalanta draw

Solskjaer and Fernandes laud Man Utd attacking talent

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Manchester United left it late to earn a draw against Atalanta in the Champions League on Tuesday night. Cristiano Ronaldo was the hero for the Red Devils, scoring two levellers to secure a point for his side. And Express Sport will now take a look at four things we learned from the match.

Ronaldo may be another Mata

The last time United scored late in Italy, in the Champions League, it was against Juventus in 2018.

Ronaldo was on the losing team that day, with Juan Mata scoring to save Jose Mourinho from the sack before Leonardo Bonucci’s own goal gave them all three points.

With Ronaldo saving Ole Gunnar Solskjaer against Atalanta on Tuesday, his goal may merely be delaying the inevitable – just like Mata’s did.

When the Spain international struck against Juventus, it merely gave the Glazers a chance to hold fire.

Mourinho was axed weeks later and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Solskjaer suffer the same fate in the coming weeks ahead given his side’s alarming lack of consistency.

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Van de Beek and Sancho impress

Donny van de Beek has barely played for United since his arrival from Ajax during the summer transfer window of 2020.

But the Netherlands international showed during a brief cameo that he’s worthy of selection.

Introduced in the dying stages, Van de Beek was involved in Ronaldo’s second goal and very nearly won the match himself at the death.

Jadon Sancho, meanwhile, also impressed.

The England international has been left on the bench in recent weeks but provided a potency they’d been lacking prior to his introduction.

With United suffering at the moment, both players are worth considering for Solskjaer as he looks to keep his job.

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Bailly a shining light

Another shining light for United was Eric Bailly.

The Ivory Coast international has been on the bench for most of the season so far, having to watch on from the sidelines.

Yet Bailly took his chance against Atalanta and was one of the Red Devils’ best players on the pitch as they earned a draw.

With Harry Maguire out of form, and Raphael Varane injured, Bailly now deserves some regular action.

And Solskjaer would be wise to throw him into the mix for Saturday’s crunch showdown with Manchester City at Old Trafford.

Ronaldo is magical

When United signed Ronaldo on transfer deadline day, some believed he’d struggle to adjust to life back in England.

How foolish they look now.

There’s no denying this United side are erratic. A bizarre bunch of individuals, they seldom dominate games despite the huge amounts of talent they possess.

But Ronaldo papers over the cracks. Almost single-handedly, he’s keeping their hopes of a trophy alive.

Without him, where would United be? That’s something Solskjaer won’t want to ponder, especially while his position is so precarious.

Scholes delivers verdict

Speaking after United’s draw with Atalanta, Paul Scholes expressed concerns over Solskjaer’s side.

“They played alright Saturday [against Tottenham], but tonight it was messy,” the pundit told BT Sport.

“As soon as Varane went off it went all over the place, really shaky. Quality in the middle of the pitch wasn’t great, giving the ball away.

“Maguire just doesn’t look right and I don’t want to say it again, with no Varane, Saturday has to be a worry.”

And he added: “If you’re Pep [Guardiola] you’d think you have a good chance to win. City think that anyway at any point it’ll be a difficult game but with no Varane it’s going to be more difficult.

“But saying that they have the quality to score. Even in the Liverpool game they produced three clear chances. United need to defend and concentration is key.”

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