Man Utd injuries ´holding us back´, believes Ten Hag

Erik ten Hag is sure that Manchester United’s ongoing injury woes are holding them back in their quest for continuity on all fronts.

Ten Hag watched on as Antony was forced off during their 1-1 draw with Fenerbahce in the Europa League on Thursday, despite no one being near the Brazilian.

The Red Devils were already without 10 first-team players for their trip to Turkiye, nine because of injury, as their struggles from last season begin to resurface once again.

Last campaign, United suffered 45 injuries, more than any other team in the top flight, and they have again endured a stuttering start to the season as a result.

Ten Hag’s side have won four of their 13 matches in all competitions (drawn five, lost four), while also ranking in the bottom 10 for expected goals against (xGA) with 12.4 in the Premier League.

The likes of Luke Shaw, Leny Yoro and Tyrell Malacia are all yet to make an appearance this term, and Ten Hag believes it has become a problem at Old Trafford.

“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.”

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Kobbie Mainoo and Mason Mount are other notable absentees, but defender Jonny Evans is expected to return to the fold ahead of United’s fixture with West Ham on Sunday.

The Red Devils hoped they would solve their problems through the hiring of Gary O’Driscoll from Arsenal as their new head of medicine 12 months ago.

However, that has failed to transpire, and Ten Hag knows his side will struggle to fulfil their potential until an answer can be 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.”