The Peoples Person
·8 September 2023
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Yahoo sportsThe Peoples Person
·8 September 2023
A number of Manchester United players were in action for their respective national teams on Thursday as the international break continues.
United stars who played include Christian Eriksen and Rasmus Hojlund for Denmark against San Marino, Jonny Evans for North Ireland vs. Slovenia and Hannibal Mejbri for Tunisia against Botswana.
Here is how Erik ten Hag’s men fared away from Old Trafford.
Denmark cruised to a 4-0 victory against San Marino in a Euro Qualifiers clash.
During the 90 minutes he was on the pitch, Eriksen was his side’s undisputed creative engine. He managed a hat trick of assists.
Eriksen had an impressive 142 touches of the ball.
He managed an 89% pass accuracy and seven key passes. The Dane attempted 24 crosses and was found his intended target on eight occasions.
The midfielder tried to ping eight long balls and was successful six times.
Eriksen created three big chances. He won three of the five ground duels he delved into.
The 31-year-old put in three successful tackles.
Hojlund started on the bench and only played the last 30 minutes of proceedings against San Marino.
The striker made his debut for United last Sunday at the Emirates where he showed promising glimpses of his ability and what he can do.
For Denmark, the goalscorer came out on top the one time he embarked on a dribble. He also blocked three shots.
Hojlund had 20 touches of the ball and a 92% success rate with his passes.
He came close to scoring with his right foot, but his shot hit the woodwork. The 20-year-old won 100% of his aerial duels and 100% of his challenges on the ground.
Hannibal was in play for an hour as his side Tunisia beat Botswana by three goals to nil to effectively clinch their place in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Hannibal had 53 touches of the ball and an 89% pass accuracy to his name.
The Tunisian star completed six out of six long balls – a superb display of his technical ability.
The Carrington academy graduate also completed all two of the dribbles he attempted. A combative midfielder, Hannibal showed this again by winning four of the five ground duels he got involved in.
Evans is the only United player on this list who found himself on the end of a defeat following North Ireland’s 4-2 loss at the hands of Slovenia.
The centre back, who recently signed a contract extension to keep him at United for the remainder of the 2023/24 season, had an all-action game – not only did he score a goal for his team, but he also put the ball into the back of his own net for Slovenia’s second of the game.
Evans made a solid four clearances from the heart of North Irelands’s backline.
The veteran defender blocked one shot and made two crucial interceptions. He also made one vital goalline clearance.
As captain of the national team, Evans won 50% of his ground duels and 50% of his contests in the air.
He touched the ball 76 times and mustered an 86% pass accuracy. He made one key pass and completed as many dribbles.
Evans successfully pinged only one long ball from his five attempts.
(Stats obtained from Sofascore)
North Ireland face Kazakhstan next and no doubt the 35-year-old will be keen to get his country back to winning ways.