When Manchester United face Barcelona in the second leg of their huge Europa League tie in midweek, manager Erik ten Hag will face a big dilemma.

That lies in the selection of his central midfield.

Last week, he selected Casemiro next to Fred but with the Brazilian sitting out due to suspension against Leicester, it presented Marcel Sabitzer with an opportunity to impress.

He has been a bit part of the side since his deadline day loan move from Bayern Munich and his display in the 3-0 win over the Foxes perhaps summed up why.

Slack in possession of the ball and lacking in conviction with his play, it would be a surprise if he was afforded another chance, particularly after finding himself lucky not to be sent off for a rash challenge on Wout Faes. However, it must be his partner on Sunday afternoon who should be given the axe; Fred.

Should Fred play against Barcelona?

This will be a tricky one for Ten Hag but despite his improved performance of late, the Dutchman must consider dropping him when Barca come to town on Thursday.

For so long the former Shakhtar Donetsk man has been a liability in the middle of the park for the Red Devils and simply cannot be relied upon to bring consistency to the side.

In truth, the moment United can find an upgrade he should be out of the team for good.

In the meantime, he may well have to settle for a place on the bench after a weekend display that was "so sloppy" in the words of Gary Neville during Sky's live broadcast.

Also described as "another nightmare" performance by MEN's Samuel Luckhurst until a superb assist for Marcus Rashford's second goal, it was a display that typified his United career.

Only Bruno Fernandes (nine) made more than Fred's four key passes during the contest but he gave the ball away all too regularly and was fortunate not to have been punished.

One such moment saw him surrender possession in the opening exchanges only for Brendan Rodgers' men to spurn the subsequent chance that came about.

During the 29-year-old's 66 touches of the ball he lost possession a whopping 14 times while from a defensive point of view made only one tackle and one interception despite the barrage of attacks Leicester sustained in the first 45 minutes.

He did win 3/5 of his duels but it was yet another error-stricken performance from an experienced player who has so often been the scapegoat and the one to attract criticism.

On this evidence, it is hardly a surprise why. If only he provided more magic moments like the assist.