Sports
Erik ten Hag Blames Injury Crisis For Manchester United’s Struggles
Last season, United endured 45 injuries—more than any other Premier League team—and were missing 10 first-team players in Thursday’s Europa League draw with Fenerbahce, with nine of those absences due to injuries.
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While veteran central defender Jonny Evans might be available for Sunday’s match against West Ham, there are significant doubts about Brazilian winger Antony. He collapsed without contact after coming on as a second-half substitute in Turkey, ultimately needing to be stretchered off the field.
Defenders Luke Shaw, Leny Yoro, and Tyrell Malacia have yet to make an appearance this season, while Mason Mount, who has made just five appearances, including the Community Shield, is now in his second spell on the sidelines this campaign.
“Yes, it holds us back in our levels and also in our position in the league,” said Ten Hag. “When you don’t have the players available, you can’t line up the best team.”
Manchester United had hoped to resolve their injury issues by bringing in Gary O’Driscoll from Arsenal as head of medical a year ago.
However, the problems persist, and Ten Hag acknowledges that his team will struggle to reach their full potential until a solution is found.
“We need more players available often,” he said. “We all have to work together on this point – the players, the coaching staff and all the other staff.
“We have to do better at that because we know when we have them we are a really tough team to play and we can be really successful.”
Manchester United head to the London Stadium sitting 12th in the Premier League and 21st in the expanded Europa League after a stretch of three consecutive away draws and a home victory over Brentford. This recent run follows their troubling home defeat to Tottenham on September 29, which sparked intense speculation about Erik ten Hag’s future.
United’s Europa League draw with Fenerbahce leaves them with only one win in their last seven games across competitions, a stark contrast to what could have been an unbeaten nine-game streak if they had won that match, marking their longest since early 2023.
The recent away draws, however, are notable, coming in challenging encounters in the Europa League and against a high-performing Aston Villa side, despite United having a day less to prepare. Now, they face a West Ham squad eager to bounce back after a derby defeat to Tottenham, with manager Julen Lopetegui having had a full week to regroup and address their issues.
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Reflecting on the Tottenham loss, where United were a goal down before Bruno Fernandes was controversially sent off just before halftime—a decision later overturned by a disciplinary panel—Ten Hag suggests that the unfortunate circumstances make it difficult to fairly judge his players’ performance.
“I deny that game,” he said. “I ignore that game against Spurs because we were downsized to 10 and the red card was overturned.
“It is not a fair assessment of the team to take this into consideration because we didn’t have the chance to bounce back. Of course, it was a tough first half, but in that period is also remember some very good chances.
“But you see this team is resilient and determined. Against Brentford and in tough away games, this team has showed character, fighting spirit and determination to win games.”
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