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Southampton 0-1 Manchester United: Three key players

By Jack Deery

SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 23: Romelu Lukaku of Manchester United scores his sides first goal past Fraser Forster of Southampton during the Premier League match between Southampton and Manchester United at St Mary's Stadium on September 23, 2017 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 23: Romelu Lukaku of Manchester United scores his sides first goal past Fraser Forster of Southampton during the Premier League match between Southampton and Manchester United at St Mary's Stadium on September 23, 2017 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images) /
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SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 23: Shane Long of Southampton in action during the Premier League match between Southampton and Manchester United at St Mary’s Stadium on September 23, 2017 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 23: Shane Long of Southampton in action during the Premier League match between Southampton and Manchester United at St Mary’s Stadium on September 23, 2017 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) /

Shane Long

The Irishman consistently has an excellent work-rate in whatever game he plays, it is probably his best asset. An absolute nightmare to play against if you’re a defender as you rarely get a moments peace, however he is just lacking that final end product.

Long came up against a United defence that has conceded very few goals this season so he was always going to have a tough time. With this being said, the number 7 had Phil Jones and Eric Bailly struggling for large parts of the game and with good performances over the last few weeks it appears he is Pellegrino’s main man up top, for now.

An impressive performance from the striker has been slightly overshadowed by the lack of goals once again. This has led to many fans calling for Saints to switch to a two striker formation, but would this help or hinder Long’s performances?