Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial Lead Manchester United Past Watford in EPL

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's reign as Manchester United's full-time manager started on the right foot on Saturday, as the Red Devils beat Watford 2-1 thanks to goals from Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.

The Hornets were the better side for most of the contest, but United hit them hard on the counter in the first half, with Rashford getting his 10th goal of the Premier League campaign. Martial doubled the lead against the run of play in the 72nd minute to give the hosts some breathing room.

Abdoulaye Doucoure pulled one back for the Hornets in stoppage time, but it came too late to start a rally.

Solskjaer was promoted during the international break after his team won 14 of his first 19 games in charge as interim manager.

After Ole Deal, United Must Prioritise Rashford Contract

Solskjaer's first match as permanent manager proved a tricky affair, with the visitors dominating large stretches of the first half until Rashford opened the scoring.

It was a typical goal for Solskjaer's United, as Luke Shaw broke into space before playing a great ball into the path of Rashford. The 21-year-old used his pace to break free and dinked an easy finish past Ben Foster.

The England international has become a key contributor under the new boss, and Squawka Football noted he has now twice opened the scoring for the Norwegian tactician:

His fine efforts for the Red Devils have reportedly caught the eye of La Liga giants Barcelona, who are keeping a close eye on the youngster, per James Ducker of the Daily Telegraph.

Sky Sports have reported he's keen on a new deal at Old Trafford:

With Solskjaer now the permanent manager, United's next priority off the pitch should be the Rashford contract negotiations. There are other players in need of attention―most notably David De Gea and Ander Herrera―but Rashford's standing as a talented academy product playing a vital role in attack makes him ideally suited to be the face of the club moving forward, and they need to lock him up before the Barcelona rumours get out of hand.

He's an ideal fit for Solskjaer's attacking system based on movement and speed. With the deal set to expire in 2020 (though the club has an option to add an extra year, per Transfermarkt), there's plenty of time left to come to an agreement, but with all the positivity surrounding the club, this would be a great opportunity to push it through.

Matic Can't Start Barcelona Champions League Tie

The win somewhat obscured what was a poor performance from the Red Devils, who easily could have lost Saturday's contest if Watford had taken their chances.

The visitors dominated midfield proceedings, something that is starting to become a semi-regular occurrence. The duo of Ander Herrera and Nemanja Matic couldn't hold their own, and their struggles resulted in a stagnant effort from several team-mates who couldn't find their groove. Paul Pogba in particular had limited space to contribute to the attack.

Of the two, Herrera had the worst outing. His stats were atrocious:

The 29-year-old has mostly been solid under Solskjaer, however, and there's reason to believe Saturday's outing was a one-off. The same can't be said for Matic, who isn't mobile enough or a good enough passer to be a good fit in the current system.

Andreas Pereira and Fred are both options off the bench, and both are better athletes than Matic and have better passing ranges. Against Barcelona's fast-paced game, they would be far more effective than Matic.

What's Next?

Both teams will be in action on Tuesday, when United visit Wolverhampton Wanderers and Watford host Fulham.