Martinez shines, Zirkzee flops – Ranking Man Utd stars at Euro 2024 and Copa America

With Euro 2024 and Copa America in the rear-view mirror, Manchester United’s pre-season can get underway in earnest. It’s been a busy few weeks for the Red Devils, with Erik ten Hag agreeing a contract extension and the first aquisition of the Sir Jim Ratcliffe era being announced.

And admist all the noise around Carrington, a significant portion of United’s first-team players have been away on international duty, either at the Euros or Copa America. And now that both competitions over, we’ve decided to rank those players based on their performances over the past month.

Some fared better than others, with one or two playing starring roles for their countries, while others barely got a look-in. Let’s get into the list, with No.1 having the best tournament and 12th having the worst time!

1. Lisandro Martinez

United may have missed him this year, but Argentina certainly haven’t. The diminutive defender excelled alongside Cristian Romero in Lionel Scaloni’s team as Lionel Messi and Co. clinched their second consecutive Copa America title – their third major tournament victory in a row.

Lisandro Martinez was a stalwart in defence and played every match except the dead rubber game against Peru at the end of the group stage. He even scored a goal, netting in Argentina’s quarter-final clash with Ecuador. If United can keep Martinez fit and in form next season, they just might be a force to be reckoned with.

2. Bruno Fernandes

Bruno Fernandes was a shining light in an otherwise lacklustre tournament for Portugal, overshadowed by Cristiano Ronaldo’s controversial antics before a quarter-final departure at the hands of France.

Fernandes was a central cog in Roberto Martinez’s midfield alongside the equally-effective Vitinha, and netted a well-earned goal in his team’s 3-0 thrashing of Turkey. It was undoubtedly his finest tournament in a Portugal shirt, it’s just a shame the same couldn’t be said for most of his team-mates.

3. Kobbie Mainoo

Kobbie Mainoo took some time to win over Gareth Southgate, but once he did, there was no turning back. The 19-year-old had to bide his time until England’s final group match to get a substantial run-out, but quickly left his mark.

He breathed new life into the midfield while offering much-needed tactical balance, and emerged as one of the standout performers for England during the tournament. Dislodging him from the Three Lions line-up will now be a tall order, just as it will be in Ten Hag’s.

4. Facundo Pellistri

Facundo Pellistri may have been underused by United, but certainly not by Uruguay. The 22-year-old featured in every single one of his nation’s matches at Copa America, culminating in Uruguay’s triumph over Canada in the third-place play-off.

He also scored in their 5-0 rout of Bolivia during the group stage and consistently displayed energetic performances throughout the tournament. Mr Ten Hag, take note.

5. Christian Eriksen

Christian Eriksen, despite his typically dynamic performances, couldn’t save Denmark from an early exit at Euro 2024, with the team struggling to replicate the success they had at Euro 2020.

Eriksen did manage to score in the 1-1 draw against Slovenia, but the Danes were ultimately defeated by host nation Germany in the round of 16.

6. Scott McTominay

Scott McTominay, who had been Scotland’s hero during the qualifiers, was one of the better performers for his country at the Euros. However, considering the overall performance of the team, this isn’t saying much.

McTominay scored the only goal for Scotland that wasn’t netted by Antonio Rudiger, but he and his team-mates were thoroughly outclassed in all three matches and eliminated at the group stage.

7. Diogo Dalot

Diogo Dalot, who was one of Portugal’s standout players at the 2022 World Cup, had a limited role this summer. He started as a wing-back in the opener against The Czech Republic and performed well, but lost his place when Martinez switched to a back four.

Dalot returned for the dead rubber match against Georgia, which, unfortunatelt for Dalot, Portugal lost. He then watched from the sidelines as the team scraped past Slovenia on penalties, only to be knocked out by France in the quarter-finals.

8. Rasmus Hojlund

Rasmus Hojlund had a disappointing Euros, especially after his impressive second half of the season with United. The forward failed to score in four matches as Denmark were knocked out in the round of 16.

United fans will be hoping this is just a temporary blip and not a sign that the 21-year-old has lost his scoring touch, as he did after his move from Atalanta last summer.

9. Luke Shaw

When has it ever worked for England to take an injured player to a major tournament? Luke Shaw’s inclusion in the Three Lions squad was surprising given he hadn’t played since February, with Southgate taking a risk on his fitness by not bringing a backup left-back.

Shaw only got his chance in the quarter-finals but had to wait until the final to start a game. His fitness and match sharpness were questionable, and frankly, he probably shouldn’t have been there.

10. Joshua Zirkzee

United announced the £36.5million signing of Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna this week, but after his performance at the Euros, supporters might be questioning if the club overpaid a touch.

The Dutch striker only made two substitute appearances as his team reached the semi-finals, before being defeated by England. He didn’t make much of an impact in either game, although it’s difficult to judge him based on two brief appearances.

11. Alejandro Garnacho

It may seem harsh to rank a 2024 Copa America champion so low, but Alejandro Garnacho barely got a chance to shine for Argentina. He only started one match, the inconsequential game against Peru at the end of the group stage, and was substituted two-thirds of the way through.

In his defence, he had to compete with the likes of Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria, Julian Alvarez, Lautaro Martinez and Alexis Mac Allister (who played a couple of matches out wide) for playing time, which is no easy task, especially for a relatively inexperienced 20-year-old.

12. Altay Bayindir

How can one describe Altay Bayindir’s Euro 2024 tournament without resorting to the s*** emoji? United’s second-choice goalkeeper only played once after Turkey’s first-choice goalkeeper Mert Gunok suffered a minor injury – and it didn’t go well.

His team were thrashed by Portugal, who smashed three goals past him. Gunok was quickly reinstated to the starting line-up a few days later, much to everyone’s lack of surprise.