Manchester United biggest mistake was to to offer a lucrative contract – He should go for a break 

Manchester United biggest mistake was to to offer a lucrative contract – He should go for a break

 

Three wins in 11 games, a daunting fixture list ahead, a mounting injury crisis, and intense scrutiny on the job status, Erik ten Hag could be forgiven for asking for a break right about now.

 

 

This wasn’t in the script when Ineos handed him a contract extension in the summer after extensive negotiations and talks with other candidates.

 

In fact, Thomas Tuchel was close to getting the United job, but ultimately, Erik ten Hag was chosen as the best man to take Manchester United forward.

 

That was followed by a transfer window deemed a success as United netted more than £100 million in sales and five players came through the door.

 

 

However, it’s not about what they did do in the window. The Man Utd manager is being haunted by what they did not do, and fans have seen it happen before.

 

Casemiro and Luke Shaw of Manchester United applaud the fans after the Premier League match between West Ham United and Manchester United at London…

Photo by Craig Mercer/MB Media/Getty Images

Biggest mistake of Man Utd’s transfer window

On the surface, it seems fairly simple. The Man Utd squad was sorely lacking a natural striker beyond Rasmus Hojlund, so Joshua Zirkzee stepped in.

 

The injury nightmare of the 2023/24 season robbed them of a consistent centre-back pairing, so two new ones arrived.

 

The defensive midfield hole was filled by Manuel Ugarte while Noussair Mazraoui was the utility player who could fill both sides as a fullback.

 

 

However, nearly three months into the new season, and even further back if you add last season, it has been nearly eight months since United last played with a natural left-back.

 

Erik ten Hag recently said lack of natural left-back is hurting the Utd team, and while they have exciting academy prospects like Harry Amass, a steady, senior hand is missing.

 

Luke Shaw’s injury updates are as delayed as his comeback, while Tyrell Malacia’s return is best not guessed.

 

 

The most puzzling thing about this is that neither of these situations came as a surprise to the club. Shaw has always been injury prone and relying on Malacia stopped being a serious option more than a year ago.

 

Luke Shaw has missed 264 games for Man United and England due to injuries in his 10 years at the club 🤕💔 pic.twitter.com/NxETra3C1A

 

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) August 14, 2024

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Diogo Dalot has done an admirable job as the inverted fullback but the dynamism and thrust on the overlap that a natural left-back provides remains missing.

 

Deja vu for Man Utd fans, but not completely

The manager being let down by the board was a usual story at United before the arrival of Ineos. The Glazers were always at the centre of the fans’ ire for precisely this season.

 

Therefore, Ten Hag’s yearning for a natural left-back can give fans a feeling of deja vu but the situation is slightly different this year.

 

That is because Ten Hag was backed to the hill and back this summer and in Alvaro Fernandez, they already had a left-back but was sold for £5 million.

 

Fernandez is now being targeted by the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona after starring for Benfica.

 

Even now, the Man Utd coaching staff doesn’t see a future for Fernandez at the club despite a low buy-back clause.

 

So it can be said that this time, the damage is largely self-inflicted by the manager and his team who elected to stick with two injury-prone options, with a teenager in Amass they don’t deem ready for the first-team yet.

 

The mistake is haunting Ten Hag and the fans have seen it before but this year, it wasn’t for the lack of trying on the board’s part.

 

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