The massive injury list which Erik ten Hag has at his disposal will also be a concern for the manager. United have a lot of players in several positions missing through injuries.
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Manchester United supporters will be eager to see their team bounce back from the weekend disappointment. The Red Devils were comprehensively beaten 3-1 by Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League at Old Trafford. That result makes it three defeats from five games so far in the new season, not a start many anticipated to see from United. Hence, the club will be keen to get back to winning ways, however, it is not going to be easy.
Next up for Manchester United is a Champions League opener away to Bayern Munich. The German champions are one of the top sides in all of Europe and a favourite to win the competition. Therefore, it will not be easy to get a result against them. Besides, the massive injury list which Erik ten Hag has at his disposal will also be a concern for the manager. The Red Devils have a lot of players in several positions missing through injuries.
Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, Mason Mount, Raphael Varane and Sofyan Amrabat are among those on the sidelines. While Shaw and Malacia are out for the long-term, the others could return soon. After the Premier League loss to Brighton at the weekend, ten Hag was asked if any players will be back for the Bayern game. The manager, quoted by the club’s website, said, “Maybe, maybe one player, but I think Munich is a little bit too short, but I think when we go to Burnley in the week after, I think players will return, yes.”
During the defeat against Bayern, the supporters at Old Trafford expressed their displeasure when Rasmus Hojlund was substituted for Anthony Martial at the hour mark. Asked what does he think of the reaction of the fans, ten Hag replied, “I think it was positive, you see that the fans in the first moment in Old Trafford, the reception for him was great, I think he performed very well. So I think it’s good that they give him this signal, this message. It will give him belief, Rasmus, but everyone knows he came in with a small issue, we built him over the past three, four weeks, he’s not ready for a whole game. And we have many games to play [at] short notice, so yeah, we have to build him also in fitness.”
Ten Hag also felt that the boos were made for Hojlund coming off and not for Martial coming on. “I think it was because Rasmus Hojlund came off. But I don’t want to discuss that, I don’t know. But I think Anthony Martial every time, last year, every time when he he had a very positive effect on our games. I think even we almost lost no games with Anthony Martial on the pitch. If that’s the fact, I don’t understand, because when he is fit, he definitely will contribute. At this moment, he is not [at] top fitness, but he is improving and I’m sure when he is 100 per cent fit, he will contribute – again, as [he did] last season,” he explained.
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