Why have Man Utd been so bad?
A horror start
During Manchester United’s pre-season preparations, fans w ould have been happy w ith w hat they saw from their side: the w ay the team w ere looking to set up and w hat new signings Andre Onana and Mason Mount w ould bring to the starting line-up. How ever, things have not yet panned out the w ay supporters w ould have hoped! After an unconvincing 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers to start the league season, United travelled to Tottenham Hotspur and suffered a 2-0 defeat. Despite getting back to w inning w ays in a flimsy 3-2 w in over Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford a w eek later, the Manchester side slumped to a 3-1 loss against rivals Arsenal. Another 3-1 defeat follow ed, this time to Brighton & Hove Albion. Former defender Gary Neville highlighted how fans w ere feeling prior to taking on the Seagulls, pointing out that no one in attendance at Old Trafford that day w ould have been surprised by that particular result. “Before the game there w as that feeling of, ‘Let’s see w hat happens’ and ‘take a point’, those sort of comments speaking to people as you go in.” The mood around the club w as then further dampened by the loss against Bayern Munich, a 4-3 defeat at the Allianz Arena in a scoreline that ultimately flattered United.
Injury crisis
Going into the game against the reigning Bundesliga champions last w eek, United had a significant number of players sidelined through injury, a list that included several first-team regulars. Luke Shaw missed the trip to Germany, as did new signings Mason Mount and Sofyan Amrabat. Raphael Varane, Aaron Wan Bissaka, Harry Maguire, Kobbie Mainoo, Tyrell Malacia and Amad Diallo w ere also unavailable, w ith the team’s fitness crisis highlighted by Erik ten Hag choosing four goalkeepers on the substitute bench ahead of their big European clash. The Dutchman has bemoaned the bad luck he has had since his appointment at the Red Devils, saying he has never enjoyed the privilege of being able to field his strongest team. “One thing is true, from the start of last season I don’t think I ever started w ith, in my opinion, the best starting XI. There w as alw ays injuries.”
Underwhelming transfers?
United spent over £170 million (R3.9 billion) during the recently passed transfer w indow , recruiting Onana from Inter Milan, Altay Bayindir from Fenerbahce, Mount from Chelsea, Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta and Sofyan Amrabat, w ho the club paid Fiorentina a loan fee for and are likely to sign permanently at a later stage. While it is still early, football pundits across the United Kingdom have been underw helmed by the impact they’ve had so far, concerned the players w ho have come in haven’t improved the team’s starting XI. “I never thought for one second they w ould challenge Manchester City and Arsenal from the players that they brought in. That w ould have needed a Harry Kane-type signing or Declan Rice, as an example. They didn’t have the money to do those types of signings,” Neville said. Meanw hile, Liverpool legend Graeme Souness expressed his doubts about Hojlund and Onana, questioning the Cameroonian goalkeeper’s ability to keep the ball out of the back of the net. He also said that the Danish striker does not have a great goalscoring record. How ever, it is important to keep in mind that Hojlund w as not United’s top transfer target. The manager reportedly w anted Harry Kane. The 30-year-old w as believed to be high on Ten Hag’s shortlist, but the club w as faced w ith the issue of being unable to afford the striker as w ell as Daniel Levy’s reluctance to sell his star forw ard to a top-flight rival. Additionally, it is said that the Red Devils could not guarantee him a deal if he w ere to run dow n the 12 months he had left on his contract at Spurs. Managers not being able to land the players they really w ant seems to be a recurring theme at United. In a recent interview , former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer revealed that the club
Despite finishing third in the Premier League last season and winning the Carabao Cup, Manchester United look like a club in turmoil! The side have endured a disastrous start to their 2023/24 campaign on and off the field, with Erik ten H ag’s team losing three league games before this past
couldn’t secure the services of players he had shortlisted. “(Players like) Erling Haaland, before he made his Salzburg debut. Declan Rice, w ho w ouldn’t have cost w hat he did in the summer. We discussed Moises Caicedo, but w e felt w e needed players ready for there and then.” He also revealed he w anted Jude Bellingham.
Off-field drama
It w ould perhaps be aimless discussing United’s struggling performances w ithout pointing to the off-field drama that has shaped the start of their season. The club w ere forced into letting Mason Greenw ood leave on loan after reportedly initially looking to bring him back into the squad follow ing his arrest in 2022, w hile Sancho is currently training aw ay from his teammates after refusing to apologise to Ten Hag. The 23-year-old took to social media to deflect criticism of his attitude in training made by his manager earlier this month, w ith rumours in England suggesting the Red Devils w ould be happy to sell him at the next opportunity, even if it means they cannot recoup the £73 million (R1.6 billion) they paid Borussia Dortmund for his services in 2021. Antony, meanw hile, is currently facing allegations of domestic abuse and has agreed to remain in Brazil w hile investigations continue. To make matters w orse, four players had reportedly been involved in a locker room bust-up after United’s loss to Brighton. Scott McTominay w as said to have been confronted by captain Bruno Fernandes, w hile centre-backs Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof reportedly clashed in the dressing room.
Tension in the boardroom
Peace has seemingly become a foreign concept to the Red Devils, from the dressing room all the w ay to the boardroom! United’s American ow ners, the Glazer family, look to be at w ar w ith themselves amid a dispute over the potential sale of the club. The family effectively put the 20-time English champions up for sale in November last year, but suitors have consistently had their bids pushed back. Despite reports of the Glazers agreeing to sell the club to Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani, nothing has materialised and the family, w ho have been at the helm for 18 years, remains in control much to the dismay of supporters. One of the club’s former players, Rio Ferdinand, labelled the Glazers’ ow nership as “disgraceful” and “one of the biggest problems” the side is currently facing. “These ow ners, the Glazers, I don’t care w hat they say now . Since June w e haven’t heard from them and even then it w as tepid. Communication in any line of w ork, in any business, is vital for a business to be able to flourish, to prosper, to function properly and their lack of communication is deafening.”
weekend’s away victory over Burnley. Jadon Sancho has been banished from firstteam training, meanwhile, and Brazilian winger Antony is back home in Brazil amid allegations of domestic abuse. So, what the devil has gone wrong? Soccer Laduma’s Junaid Benjamin takes a closer look.
Is there any hope?
Despite United’s difficult start to the campaign, the three points picked up on the road this past w eekend could go a long w ay in helping Ten Hag’s side settle and to quieten dow n any outside noise. The Red Devils defeated Burnley at Turf Moor to end a three-match losing streak thanks to a magnificent first-half strike from captain Fernandes, w ith more positive results likely to improve the mood around the club. United take on Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on Saturday in the Premier League before hosting Galatasaray in the Champions League, and then go up against Brentford at home, before a trip to Sheffield United, w ho are yet to w in a league game this season so far. Fans can also be optimistic about new striker Hojlund, w ho scored his first goal in red in the team’s loss to Bayern and has proved to be a bright source of rejuvenation up front since making his debut against Arsenal. Ten Hag seems to believe the Danish international and Marcus Rashford have all the ingredients to create the perfect attacking recipe, w hile a number of players w ho’ve missed recent matches through injury are close to getting back to full fitness!