Man Utd’s worst-ever pre-season: Poor results and never-ending injury woes leave Erik ten Hag with plenty of problems to solve
Manchester United’s pre-season began with a dismal defeat to Rosenborg in Norway and Erik ten Hag telling his players their performance was “not the standard for top football” while telling them off for not being fit. It ended with a crushing 3-0 loss at the hands of arch-rivals Liverpool in South Carolina.
In between there were wins over Rangers and Real Betis as well as a 2-1 defeat to Arsenal, which came with the twin blows of Rasmus Hojlund and Leny Yoro suffering long-term injuries. Many of the team’s most important players did not feature at all after going deep at the European Championship and Copa America, and they now have less than a week to fine tune themselves for the Community Shield against Manchester City.
United beat City the last time they met in the FA Cup final, when they staged a huge shock which ultimately led to Ten Hag keeping his job. United, though, now feel very much like the underdogs heading into Saturday, especially after City thrashed Chelsea 4-2 in their final pre-season game.
At best, the pre-season feels like a waste of time, albeit one United could not control due to so many big hitters missing it. At worst, it feels like a it has drained already tight resources and dampened the mood ahead of the new campaign.
-
-
GettyWorst summer in six years
In terms of results, this has been United’s worst pre-season campaign since 2018-19, Jose Mourinho’s last stand with the club. United won just one of six games in that sorry campaign, which also included a heavy defeat by Liverpool.
The discontent between the Portuguese and the club’s hierarchy was tangible during the pre-season tour and inevitably spilled over into the season, as Mourinho was dismissed before Christmas.
The results might have been marginally better this time around, but the injuries to Yoro and Hojlund make it even worse than Mourinho’s last pre-season. The arrival of Yoro had greatly excited fans, especially as the club had beaten Real Madrid to his signature, and he had impressed in his debut against Rangers and was one of the main attractions of the tour.
All the hard work United did behind the scenes in convincing the 18-year-old to move to Old Trafford and not Santiago Bernabeu was undone though in the first half of the first game of the tour against Arsenal, however. A seemingly innocuous tangle with Gabriel Jesus led to Yoro breaking his foot and being ruled out until November.
A fractured metatarsal is one of the worst injuries a player can suffer. David Beckham and Wayne Rooney picked up the same injuries in the build-up to the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, while more recently, Lisandro Martinez suffered the same injury in April 2023.
-
-
GettyDefensive concerns
The Argentine’s campaign instantly came to an end and the injury continued to haunt him early into the following season, forcing him to undergo a second operation on his foot in September. Just a few games after returning to action, he then suffered a serious knee injury.
Martinez’s injury troubles were surely a motivating factor in the pursuit of Yoro, so it was hugely frustrating that the Frenchman should fall victim to the same injury in only his second appearance for the club.
Martinez has just returned to training with United after the Copa America and United must pray that nothing happens to him before or during the Community Shield. Harry Maguire missed the Liverpool game as a precaution while 36-year-old Jonny Evans came off at half-time due to illness and Victor Lindelof was substituted as a precaution.
Will Fish, who admittedly was unlikely to be part of the first-team squad, came off on a stretcher, meaning Martinez is currently United’s only central defender with no question marks over his fitness. And he will need some time to get up to speed.
Things are certainly not looking good for United’s defence, which conceded 58 goals last season in the league and the second-highest amount of shots, as well as being the second-worst backline in the Champions League group stage.
-
-
GettyMainoo needs support
United’s midfield also raises plenty of questions. Casemiro has continued to look like he is reaching the end of his time at the top of the game and reinforcements are yet to arrive.
A deal for Paris Saint-Germain’s Manuel Ugarte seems unlikely before the Community Shield, but United will desperately need to bolster their midfield before the transfer window closes. Kobbie Mainoo was a revelation last year, but he has only just returned after reaching the Euro 2024 final with England and he needs a more energetic partner than the ageing Casemiro.
Mason Mount has had a promising pre-season, although that is partly down to the fact he has been able to play as No.10. Will he be able to still thrive when Bruno Fernandes gets back in shape? It is doubtful.
-
Getty ImagesHojlund-shaped hole
The biggest concern of all, though, is up front, where United have a huge void to fill in the absence of Hojlund. The Dane had an up-and-down season while trying to bed-in to United, ending the campaign with a credible 16 goals in all competitions.
But the team really struggled without him. It is no coincidence that United’s resurgent form at the start of 2024 came to a halt when he picked up an injury in February, with Fulham sinking the Red Devils at Old Trafford.
United do at least have new signing Joshua Zirkzee to fill in, but the Dutch striker is yet to train with his new team-mates and Ten Hag has admitted he will need some time to adapt. That means United may have to begin the season with Jadon Sancho playing as a false nine, an experiment they tried in the previous pre-season tour but abandoned when the proper season began.
Sancho was back playing as a false nine against Real Betis and Liverpool and looked particularly lost against the Merseysiders. He was not expected to remain with United after falling out with Ten Hag and joining Borussia Dortmund on loan in January, so him starting the campaign playing out of position will provide another stern test of his relationship with the manager.
-
-
Getty ImagesGreen shoots
The one positive of pre-season has been the progress of United’s youngsters. Amad Diallo was United’s most impressive player, scoring against Rangers and Betis, and should be set for a much bigger role this season. He should certainly be preferred to Antony and can provide healthy competition with Alejandro Garnacho on the right flank.
Marcus Rashford did have a positive pre-season, too, offering hope of a resurgence following his hugely disappointing showings last term. Academy players Toby Collyer and Harry Amass also did well and have decent prospects of first-team football, as does striker Ethan Wheatley.
United’s fearless youngsters Mainoo and Garnacho were the saving graces of last season and should play big roles again. But United should not be relying on academy players to bail them out.
-
Getty ImagesProblems to solve
Pre-season can set the tone for the coming campaign and it will not be forgotten that United’s frustrating tour of 2023 proved to be an omen for the dismal season that was to come. On the other hand, pre-seasons can also be misleading.
Louis van Gaal won all six of his friendlies ahead of his first season, including beating Real Madrid and Liverpool. It counted for nothing as he lost two and drew two of his first five Premier League games. Ten Hag, meanwhile, had a mixed first pre-season, made a woeful start to the real campaign but then got his team back on course and finished third in the Premier League.
Sometimes pre-season tells you very little about the direction in which a team is going. Considering how unconvincing United have been in Norway, Scotland and America, as well as the new problems Ten Hag now has to solve, that is a comforting thing for the manager to remember.
