Marcus Rashford’s frustration and injury highlights how bare Man Utd’s attack really is after defeat to West Ham

AFTER 31 minutes, Marcus Rashford turned to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Hands out, a shrug of the shoulders: how am I supposed to work with this?

And he was perfectly justified in doing so - the striker was getting no service, no support and was running out of patience.

Rashford started up front on his own at West Ham with Andreas Pereira, Juan Mata and Daniel James behind.

It does not exactly scream vintage Manchester United. Instead it had the travelling fans pulling their hair out.

Solskjaer was missing Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba through injury. He hasn’t replaced Romelu Lukaku. And he is beginning to pay the price - no away wins in the Premier League since February is simply not good enough. End of.

This is a manager with ambitions of - at least - qualifying for the Champions League. Ideally, he wants to challenge Manchester City and Liverpool for the title. It’s a laughable suggestion on today’s evidence.

At this rate, United will be challenging Leicester and this West Ham side for a spot in Europe. If they’re lucky.

Rashford didn’t help himself - the one time in the first 45 minutes he did turn on the afterburners, he got caught in two minds once again.

Should he take the shot with his left? Cut inside on his right? Or dawdle on the ball and allow Declan Rice to make an excellent recovery challenge?

No prizes for guessing which one he chose.

Mata, James and Pereira.

Mata tasked as the No10 of unlocking the West Ham defence but not given a moment’s respite by the effervescent Rice.

James with the electric pace was one of the few looking to create. But his final ball was lacking.

Pereira an industrial worker, but hardly a player who will get United fans off their seats and step up with something special.

And the failure to bring in a replacement striker when Lukaku left was plain to see for all when Rashford limped off with an hour played.

In fairness, after an anonymous first half, he had got on the ball more in the second half and was beginning to look a threat.

Rashford could not carry on. After 24 touches, one successful dribble and a grand total of zero shots, he trudged down the tunnel clutching his thigh. 

But for a case of tonsillitis, Mason Greenwood would have come on to lead the line after his goal against Astana.

With no Greenwood or Martial and Lukaku scoring in the Milan derby for Inter yesterday - oh how they are missing the Belgian's ability just to stick the ball in the net - Solskjaer turned to Jesse Lingard to go up front.

The same Jesse Lingard without a goal or an assist since January. Eight months ago.

The same Jesse Lingard that barely got a touch, offered nothing and looks a shadow of the player he was under Jose Mourinho.

How the mighty have fallen. Remember the days when Sir Alex Ferguson had four out-and-out, top-quality centre-forwards to choose from?

Oh how it feels a long, long time ago.

Now Solskjaer arguably has none, if - like many - you think Martial and Rashford are better off on the wing, cutting in, trying to create.

No wonder Mourinho said United were "missing everything", Gary Neville fumed his old team needed to wake up and Sky Sports' new signing Roy Keane reckoned he could still get into the team.

The bruising midfielder would do a better job than some of these in attack, mind.

This was Mata's chance to step up and prove he can be the crucial man for Solskjaer in the absence of Pogba and Lingard. He did quite the opposite.

He managed one through ball early in the second and then slid in at the back post but went narrowly wide.

Manchester United's biggest goal threat, though, came from centre-half Harry Maguire who saw his close-range effort blocked by Lukasz Fabianski.

The second half was marginally better. Mind you, it could not have got any worse.

Drab, weak and lacklustre do not do the opening 45 minutes justice.

It was certainly Man U - Manchester Uneventful, Manchester Uninspiring, Manchester - dare I say - Useless.

That is now no away wins since that famous Champions League win at Paris Saint-Germain at the beginning of March.

Since then, they have lost six on the road - Arsenal, Wolves twice, Barcelona, Everton and now West Ham - and drawn three.

How much longer will United's board put up with this?

How much longer will United's fans have to endure this?