Man Utd's best and worst players as Ruud van Nistelrooy earns first win as interim manager

There's plenty of off-field discourse to get stuck into at Old Trafford, but Wednesday night saw Manchester United play for the first time since the sacking of Erik ten Hag earlier this week.

The Dutchman's reign is firmly in the past despite winning two trophies in a little over two seasons and it was his compatriot Ruud van Nistelrooy who prowled the touchline when Leicester City visited the Theatre of Dreams in the Carabao Cup.

Would-be incoming manager Ruben Amorim would have liked what he saw in United's first match detached from Ten Hag, with the Red Devils entertaining in a 5-2 thrashing of the Foxes to set up a quarter-final tie with Tottenham Hotspur in December.

But who came out of the cup tie with the most credit and who harmed their chances of facing Chelsea on Sunday? Here are their best and worst players as decided by 90min's player ratings.

Man Utd's best player vs Leicester

Casemiro - 9/10

Few United players have attracted as much criticism as Casemiro over the past year or so.

The Brazilian midfielder was at the heart of some of the Red Devils' most shocking performances under Ten Hag, looking slow and cumbersome especially when played out of position in defence.

While the stakes may have been lower than usual on Wednesday, the Real Madrid legend made sure there was little chance of a 'cupset' by smashing in an incredible strike early on before getting a second shortly before half-time.

Central midfield was a major problem area for Ten Hag and there's unlikely to be a quick fix there, but Casemiro has enough experience to at least stop the bleeding until Amorim arrives.

Honourable mentions

Manuel Ugarte - 8/10

Manuel Ugarte's performance was another positive from Van Nistelrooy's first night on the job.

It was a tough start to the Uruguayan's Red Devils career but he is beginning to enjoy some consistency, having impressed last week against Fenerbahce in the Europa League.

The former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder was again combative in the middle of the park and refrained from losing possession too often.

Bruno Fernandes - 8/10

Goals finally arrived for club captain Bruno Fernandes on Wednesday. The Portugal international somehow hadn't found the back of the net this season but got the stroke of luck he needed as his free-kick deflected in off a Leicester defender.

He was then alert to nick the loose ball ahead of his second, rounding Danny Ward and taking his time before smashing in at the near post.

United are undoubtedly a better and more fluid side when Fernandes is on song. Van Nistelrooy and the incoming Amorim will be praying this is the start of a marked improvement from the former Sporting CP star.

Alejandro Garnacho - 8/10

Given he's still one of United's younger talents, Alejandro Garnacho's consistency has been one of few bright spots of the club's season so far.

The Argentina international was a menace once again on Wednesday night, using his searing pace and varied trickery to put Leicester's defenders in a spin on multiple occasions.

He showed great attacking instincts in busting a gut to get to the back post to finish off Diogo Dalot's low cross.

Man Utd's worst player vs Leicester

Joshua Zirkzee - 5/10

It's been tough for Joshua Zirkzee ever since his winner on debut against Fulham and things were far from simple for the Netherlands international in the Carabao Cup.

While his attacking teammates thrived in a five-goal showing, Zirkzee looked like the odd man out in attack, struggling to really involve himself in proceedings.

It'll be interesting to see where the former Bologna forward fits in once Amorim takes over as expected, but there's no doubt big improvements are needed if he is to nail down a regular spot in the starting XI.

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