HOW UNITED ARE HURTING

With Manchester United looking to push on for a Champions League spot next season, their current injury crisis appears to be adding to their woes. HT looks at the problems facing the Red Devils and how it reflected in the loss to FC Midtjylland:

MISSING PLAYERS

WayneWa Rooney (in pic) did n not travel with the side to Denmark after suffering knee ligament damage. T The United captain was in su superb form — with seven goal goals in his last nine games — beforebf gettingtti injured.i

Goalkeeper David de Gea was set to start the game but had to pull out due to injury at the last minute. De Gea joined the long list of injured players, when he hurt his knee in the warm up before the game, and was replaced by Sergio Romero.

FURIOUS FANS

Travelling United fans were not pleased about the outcome of the match.

They carried banners criticizing the ticket prices as they were required to pay £77 (`7,572) for tickets which would normally cost £15 (`1,475) — and which cost £22 (`2,163) when Southampton visited the stadium in August 2015.

After watching their team lose, the away fans stayed back late and chanted “We’re f**king sh*t” as the United players left the pitch.

LACKING EXPERIENCE

While Romero gave a good account of himself as a last minute replacement, other fringe players did not have quite as much success.

United’s makeshift defence featured fairly inexperienced Paddy McNair and Donald Love, who made his first start for United. Both players were at fault for being out of position at crucial times.

PAY CUT THREAT

United’s top level management reminded the players that failure to qualify for next season’s Champions League would result in a 25% cut in their salaries as punishment in addition to no bonuses being paid out.

The clause was put into players’ contracts when Alex Ferguson was manager but has only recently been enforced since the team missed qualification in 2014 under David Moyes.

“It’s the law of Murphy. When you have a list of injured players and a few minutes before the game we can add another player to the list then it is difficult to cope with such a list of injured players.”

LOUIS VAN GAAL, Manchester United manager