Manchester United look set to cash in on the credit Erik ten Hag earned in his first season as manager by giving him time to put things right at Old Trafford. But the Dutchman must stop making a trifecta of mistakes if United’s diabolical start to his second campaign is to improve anytime soon.
The Red Devils have suffered their worst-ever start to a Premier League season, slumping in 10th on nine points after losing four of their opening seven games.
And back-to-back defeats to Bayern Munich and Galatasaray at the start of the Champions League campaign have left hopes of progressing from Group A in the balance.
Ten Hag’s situation hasn’t at all been helped by an unprecedented injury crisis, at one point during which he was missing 12 first-team players.
Returns have bolstered United in recent weeks, but five defenders, three of whom are usually starters, were absent in Tuesday’s 3-2 defeat against Galatasaray at Old Trafford.
That said, Ten Hag must now make some important decisions to attempt to steer the ship around and divert his sinking project back in the right direction.
If he opts against that, he will be at serious risk of losing the patience of the fans and, more importantly, the club’s under-pressure decision-makers.
Harry Maguire must be watching Victor Lindelof’s performances in central defence and thinking what on earth he has to do to get a game of football.
Sure, Maguire has been far from the United standard for a prolonged period. But the former captain impressed in the 3-0 Carabao Cup win over Crystal Palace and seems to have a strong relationship with Raphael Varane.
Yet, Ten Hag dropped him for Saturday’s defeat in the rematch against the Eagles and stuck with Lindelof against Galatasaray despite his poor showing days before.
It’s time to recall Maguire and use Lindelof to solve a second decision that has turned out to be a mistake. Get Sofyan Amrabat away from full-back.
Amrabat caught the eye on his first United start in the cup win over Palace but has been successfully targeted in the following two games.
The 27-year-old looked panicked at the weekend – conceding the clumsy free-kick that led to Palace’s winner – and was at fault for two of Galatasaray’s goals on Tuesday.
Lindelof has experience playing at right-back. Play him there and use Diogo Dalot on the left until one of Luke Shaw, Sergio Reguilon or Tyrell Malacia return.
That, in turn, will help solve another problem. Casemiro, aged 31, cannot be starting every single game for United. He has been the definition of leggy this season, and it’s no surprise.
Moving Amrabat into his natural holding midfield position will help balance the workload and offer Casemiro a chance to rest.
That should hit two birds with one stone by getting the best of Amrabat by using him in the position he arrived to play in, and hopefully, the best out of a more rested Casemiro, too.
