Unraveling Manchester United's Turbulent Season: Assessing the Midfield, Defense, Injuries, Off-Field Challenges, and Beyond

Muddled midfield: Who plays with Bruno?

Despite Manchester United's troubled start to the season, there is little room for error as they prepare to face Burnley on Saturday night. However, the question remains: what exactly has gone wrong for Erik ten Hag's side thus far?

Muddled midfield: Who plays with Bruno?

Throughout his tenure as United manager, Ten Hag has made five midfield signings. Yet, it is in the central areas where his team continues to struggle the most. While the position of captain Bruno Fernandes is undoubtedly secure, the decision regarding who should play alongside or behind him remains a topic of discussion.

Casemiro and Christian Eriksen, once viewed as a promising duo last season, appear to have lost their spark and are currently struggling to find their form this season. Despite his £55m transfer from Chelsea, Mason Mount has had a difficult time convincing fans with his performances in his first two appearances, which were further hindered by an unfortunate injury. Meanwhile, Scott McTominay has yet to deliver a performance that justifies the decision to retain him beyond this summer. To make matters worse, the recent departure of Fred has left Manchester United lacking in both energy and enthusiasm.

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Casemiro has struggled defensively for Manchester United this season

Deadline Day signings Sofyan Amrabat and the promising young talent Kobbie Mainoo have not made their debut yet, but their return to fitness could potentially bolster the team. However, expecting them to immediately contribute without prior Premier League experience is a challenging task. Ten Hag is still in pursuit of the optimal midfield combination for United and must do so promptly.

Injury crisis: Lack of options in key areas

Despite United's self-made problems, it is undeniable that Ten Hag has faced a challenging situation due to injuries this season. The absence of high-profile summer signings has been especially disappointing for the Dutchman as these players were expected to bring solutions to the team's issues.

There was a frustrating delay for high-profile striker Rasmus Hojlund to make his first appearance following his transfer from Atalanta due to a back injury. Meanwhile, Mount managed to feature in two matches before being sidelined with a thigh issue.

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Mason Mount was signed from Chelsea for £55m this summer but has featured just twice so far due to injury

Amrabat was brought in from Fiorentina to address United's defensive midfield issues, but he is currently unable to play due to back spasms suffered while on international duty. Additionally, injuries to both left-backs Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia, along with Raphael Varane's absence, have caused disruptions in the centre-back position. As a result, it is evident that Ten Hag is far from being able to field his preferred starting lineup.

United's roster of unavailable players, as reported by Premier Injuries, is only exceeded by Chelsea, who have 12 absences (including Jadon Sancho and Antony, who are fit but unavailable).

Undoubtedly, the injuries shed light on inadequate past recruitment in certain areas. A club that has invested heavily in recent transfer windows should possess the necessary depth to cope with player absences. Furthermore, injuries affect all teams. Nevertheless, there is some understanding for Ten Hag's inability to fully demonstrate his game plan thus far this season.

Shaky defence consistently inefficient

United's defense has been consistently lacking this season, for all the wrong reasons. Injuries have left them consistently short-staffed, and their conceding of goals has been consistently problematic.

Even teams like Arsenal, Brighton, Tottenham, and Bayern Munich have managed to score against Ten Hag's team with cutbacks into the penalty area. The struggling midfield fails to adequately support Fernandes, while the back four seems to have lost their ability to communicate effectively and, at times, even forgotten the fundamentals of defending.

Despite the constant praise for Andre Onana's skill in playing the ball, his ability to stop shots has been below par. In the Premier League, Onana let in seven goals from the first ten shots he faced, and even managed to score an own goal against Bayern Munich. It could be argued that the incident where he was lobbed from the halfway line by RC Lens during preseason was not merely a random occurrence, but rather a clear warning sign.

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Andre Onana blamed himself for Manchester United's Champions League loss to Bayern Munich on Wednesday

Discipline problems and off-field issues

The implementation of Ten Hag's infamous 13.8km-run penalty early in his tenure seemed to symbolize the long-awaited restoration of authority at Old Trafford. However, this was just the beginning of a much larger and complex set of challenges that proved difficult for the manager to handle.

He skillfully negotiated a delicate political situation involving Cristiano Ronaldo during the initial months, ultimately emerging victorious after the forward publicly expressed his frustrations over a contract dispute during the World Cup. Nevertheless, there have been other issues that have presented even greater difficulties.

Despite Mason Greenwood being suspended prior to his arrival, Antony, his costliest signing, has now distanced himself from the first team due to additional personal life allegations. This creates an even more precarious situation in ostracizing Sancho. Ten Hag seemingly has no plans for an awkward reversal, but this leaves him without a single experienced right winger.

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Jadon Sancho is still not able to play for Manchester United because of disciplinary problems. This situation has worsened the already intense speculation about the club's potential takeover, but recently there has been a complete absence of any information. However, what concerns Ten Hag more is the lack of advancement that this situation represents.

Have major decisions gone against United?

Is it valid for many United supporters to argue that their team has experienced a series of unfavorable judgments this season?

United strongly believed that they deserved a penalty in their 2-0 loss to Tottenham last month. The incident occurred when Cristian Romero deliberately prevented Alejandro Garnacho's shot with his arm while the game was still tied. Reflecting on their 3-1 defeat against Arsenal two weeks later, Ten Hag expressed frustration over three controversial decisions, including the disqualification of Garnacho's late goal which would have given United a 2-1 advantage due to an offside ruling.

More recently, a portion of United supporters expressed disappointment when VAR disallowed Hojlund's 'equaliser' in their eventual 3-1 loss to Brighton last weekend. The disqualification came after the ball had gone out of play during the buildup. Additionally, in their Champions League opener against Bayern Munich on Wednesday, Eriksen was penalised for handball shortly after United had managed to narrow the score to 2-1. This penalty was conceded, leading to further frustration for United.

Does United's poor start rest with Ten Hag?

However, it's worth mentioning that Ten Hag's team should consider themselves fortunate as well. During their 1-0 victory over Wolves in the Premier League season opener, there was a crucial decision that favored United. If Onana had been penalized for his forceful collision with Sasa Kalajdzic in stoppage time, United's start to the new campaign could have easily been worse. And let's not forget the two pivotal incidents that went United's way when they managed to stage a remarkable comeback from being 2-0 down against Nottingham Forest on August 26.

Many factors have been cited for United's current struggles - the Glazers, a perceived lack of investment in the squad, and unfortunate injuries, to name a few. However, it raises the question of how much responsibility Ten Hag should bear in this situation.

Having been in charge for more than a year and successfully managing three transfer windows, the manager has tackled the monumental task of rebuilding the team. Not hesitating to make tough decisions, he has offloaded players like Ronaldo, David De Gea, and Fred, who did not feature in his plans. Additionally, Maguire has faced the consequences of losing the captaincy and being sidelined.

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Manchester United have lost four of their opening six games this season

Ten Hag has been given the authority to recruit players he is familiar with, as Onana, Amrabat, Antony, and Martinez have previously played under him.

Despite Ten Hag's significant investment of over £330m, many of the players he personally selected are falling short of expectations.

Antony, who was Ten Hag's costliest signing at £86m, failed to impress last season and is currently unavailable due to troubling off-field accusations. Onana's performance at United has also been underwhelming, and Martinez's form has significantly declined.

With Ten Hag's influence becoming more evident in the United team, it is becoming increasingly difficult for him to evade scrutiny for their shortcomings.

Follow live updates of Man Utd's trip to Burnley on We' digital platforms from 6.30pm on Saturday, kick-off 8pm. Watch free highlights shortly after full-time.

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Ten Hag insists the challenge facing him at Manchester United is no surprise and is determined to turn his side's fortunes around

What's coming up for Man Utd?

September 23: Burnley (A) - Premier League, kick-off 8pm

September 26: Crystal Palace (H) - Carabao Cup, kick-off 8pm, live on We

September 30: Crystal Palace (H) - Premier League, kick-off 3pm

October 3: Galatasaray (H) - Champions League, kick-off 8pm

October 7: Brentford (H) - Premier League, kick-off 3pm

October 21: Sheffield United (A) - Premier League, kick-off 8pm