Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag gives reasons for the awful start to the season
Erik ten Hag has cited the lack of a deep-lying midfielder as one of the reasons for Manchester United experiencing a dreadful start to the season. In an interview published in the Manchester Evening News, the Dutch manager gave his reasons.
I think we had a good basic pre-season. But then our nine, (Anthony) Martial injured, (Cristiano) Ronny not fit, the six holding midfield position is not there, the first game we had two centre-halves who have not played together and also the goalie was not in the best period.
United have pursued Frenkie de Jong since the beginning of the transfer window. But the player has been reluctant to join the club. This led to the Premier League giants to turn their attention elsewhere, turning their attention to Real Madrid.
Casemiro is set to join the club soon. He won’t be able to feature in United’s game on Monday, but will likely be in the stands. The Red Devils will be paying Real Madrid £70 million for the services of the 30-year-old.
The Brazilian will become the fourth signing for the Reds this summer. But he could prove to be the most crucial one. Fans have long demanded that a proper holding midfielder is needed at the club.
Fred and Scott McTominay are simply not good enough to start games for a club like United. They have delivered awful performances in the past, and will likely continue doing so. Casemiro’s presence in the midfield might be the answer the club has been looking for.
He is one of the best in the business. A five-time Champions League winner, the Brazilian international has won all there is to win with Los Blancos. The 30-year-old is strongly built and is a very intimidating figure in the middle of the park.
But United fans will have to wait for his debut. He will likely play this Saturday on 27 August, if United can get all the paperwork ready by then. Ten Hag will now have to deliver results. After a pathetic start to the season, a win has become very important for the Dutchman.
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Excuses will not work any more. He has one of the best midfielders at his disposal and he will need to use him to his very best. Should Ten Hag still fail to deliver results, then a few questions about his credentials could possibly come up.
