Premier League 2015/16 is officially over now after last night’s game at Old Trafford which saw Manchester United run away as the clear winners over Bournemouth. Goals from Wayne Rooney, Marcus Rashford and Ashley Young sealed a 3-1 win to end United’s season on a positive note.
All the attention now shifts to the FA Cup final this weekend which would present Louis Van Gaal a chance at salvation and perhaps make a strong case to be in charge of the club next season. Having said that, let us look at the key talking points and things we learned following Man United’s 3-1 win over Bournemouth.
Rooney’s transition to midfield has been smooth
Wayne Rooney has taken to his new midfield role like duck to water. He seems comfortable controlling the pace for his side from a deeper role and has not forgotten the art of scoring either.
Rooney had more than 100 touches and achieved 88% passing accuracy. As ever, he looked sound in his tackling and was never afraid to track back as well. Then we also witnessed a late run in the box which allowed him to open the scoring for Man United.
Did we see the last of Carrick in a United jersey?
Michael Carrick walked out with his kids for the game against Bournemouth. Why is it significant you might be thinking? It is because, Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra did the same in their last game for Manchester United.
Perhaps we saw Michael Carrick for the very last time playing in a United jersey. If there is a change of management in the summer, we may see new developments but for now it does seem like Carrick is about to quit Old Trafford ahead of next season.
Bournemouth need a solid transfer window
It may have been a dead rubber of a game but The Cherries looked under the cosh for most part at Old Trafford. Seeing the current quality of Premier League teams and of those being promoted from Championship, Bournemouth may need to spend heavily in order to maintain their Premier League status next season.
Rashford is indeed very special
We are not saying anything new but this boy is indeed very special. More than his scoring, it is his awareness and presence in the penalty box which makes him a dangerous player for the opposition.
He is always alive to situation and the biggest example of it was the way he played a dummy for Rooney’s goal last night. And when it came to taking his own chance, Rashford took it brilliantly to score his 8th goal of a sensational 3-month run as Manchester United’s first choice striker.
Mata at Number 10 makes much more sense
It took Louis Van Gaal 37 games to realize what Juan Mata is capable of when given the chance to operate from the number 10 position.
Mata’s intelligence and vision was on show for Rooney’s goal where he played a quick give-and-go with Anthony Martial, which allowed the Frenchman to square the ball for United’s skipper.
Had Van Gaal opted to use Mata in the role throughout the season, things would have been much easier for both fans and his position at Old Trafford as well.
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