Now it’s me being confused. Who do you reckon is a fringe player then? Antony, who was first choice last season but now appears to be 4th choice for RW, Diallo, who since he was injury free and not loaned seems to have moved from 4th choice behind Forson to getting mins at RW ahead of Antony, or Forson, who has gotten the most minutes behind Garnacho since new year, or none of the above? Do we even have a fringe player at RW then? Legitimate confusion maybe, as per recently Garnacho seems first choice for RW, but he still is preferred to play LW when Rashford isn’t played there.
To me, I reckon Garnacho, Antony, Forson, Diallo and at a stretch Fernandes as partnof the squad and liable to play RW as it looks now. Pellistri is loaned out, I’ll be surprised to see Rashford started there again, and let’s not talk about Greenwood for now. Garnacho has a strong shout for being main man there now, Antony had it but looks like he has a big fight on his hands to get regular starts again (maybe he’ll get a shot as false nine first, given that he did that role functionally when we beat City last season?), so him and Mainoo and Forson I see as squad players on the fringe of the first team.
Talking about Saturday’s despickable team performance, I’m not sure which player should have gotten more minutes previously, ahead of whom. Seems to me Ten Hag has wanted to play last years first choice into form, and upon that failing, has tried out options with Pellistri, Rashford, Fernandes, Garnacho, Forson and Diallo there, and has found the Garnacho solution most effective, Pellistri and Rashford not satisfying, and Forson ahead of Diallo for competition to Antony as subs for Garnacho. How that is an example of ‘not playing fringe players enough’ or what should be the alternative, I struggle a bit with seeing personally.