MANCHESTER UNITED’S promising start to the summer seems to have unravelled in the space of two games.
From expensive misfiring flops to an ever-growing injury crisis and transfer complications to disjointed performances, it has been far from the ideal start for Erik ten Hag.
Having spent £179million on Andre Onana, Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund, United appeared to finally be making positive steps forward in consecutive summers.
However, a fortunate 1-0 win over Wolves and a shaky display in a 2-0 loss at Tottenham has left fans feeling nervous.
Ten Hag faces Nottingham Forest tomorrow hoping to finally settle the Red Devils down, before an away trip to Arsenal ahead of the international break.
Although, if things were already looking stormy, they could get far worse very soon.
Injury crisis with Shaw the latest name
Starting the season without a recognised forward was far from ideal for Ten Hag.
However, with £72m new boy Hojlund turning up a lower-back injury in his medical, United have delayed the 20-year-old’s introduction to the rough and tumbles of Premier League life.
They were not helped by pre-season injuries to Tom Heaton, Amad Diallo and Kobbie Mainoo, while Tyrell Malacia carried over an injury from last season.
But since the season started United have been hit by three MORE injuries to Harry Maguire, Mount and Luke Shaw, with the latter two coming within 24 hours of each other.
Mount and Shaw had started the two opening games, but the Forest clash will force Ten Hag to rotate his defence.
Amid the crisis, the Dutchman has called up four stars from the Under-21s; Hannibal Mejbri, Isak Hansen-Aaroen, Omari Forson and Marc Jurado.
Poor performances and player criticism
In the view of some, the academy talent may prove to be more reliable than a number of the current first team, who so far flattered to deceive.
Wingers Antony and Alejandro Garnacho have thus far proven to be particularly disappointing, failing the provide the attacking spark United need.
Marcus Rashford has also failed to deliver, albeit out of his favoured position.
The midfield trio of Mount, Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes has not lived up to the hype either, though some of the blame for this could also be pinned on Ten Hag not drilling in a solid structure.
Casemiro, crucial to the Red Devils’ success in the Carabao Cup and a Champions League return last season, has been guilty of being dribbled past on far too many occasions as a defensive midfielder.
Alarming stats following the Spurs defeat revealed United had been dribbled past a total of 36 times already this season – nine more than the next worst team Bournemouth.
Mount, despite a solid first-half against Spurs, has otherwise appeared to largely be a passenger in the first two games.
Club captain Fernandes was slammed as “pathetic” by Micah Richards for his body language.
Meanwhile, United legend Roy Keane also compared Rashford to a child following the Spurs game.
Teams have started to adjust their tactics to exacerbate United’s weaknesses, often forcing the ball into Aaron Wan-Bissaka when playing out.
While the right-back has improved in this area of his game, he remains the weakest of the United defence in this aspect.
The structure of the press has been shoddy too, with the United midfield being played through far too easily.
Transfer implications of Greenwood situation
Sofyan Amrabat remains a top target for United before the window shuts. And it seems the Moroccan midfielder wants the move as well.
However, following the club’s decision to axe Mason Greenwood after their probe into his January 2022 arrest, they have switched their priorities in the transfer market to a new forward.
It means a deal for Amrabat is now looking doubtful unless they can raise funds elsewhere thanks to Financial Fair Play.
Maguire’s collapsed £30m transfer to West Ham dealt a huge blow to the United budget for the remainder of the window.
And injuries to their engine room mean United may need to call on fringe players such as Scott McTominay or Donny van de Beek, who otherwise would have been used to raise some cash.
The upside is that the season is still in its infancy and United proved to be slow starters last season as well.
United have created a lot of chances too, but once again the lack of a durable and reliable striker have proven troublesome.
