Even in the contradictory neighbourhood of false dawns, it wasn’t much of one. But Manchester United’s back-to-back wins against Burnley in the Premier League and Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup were at least salve for the season’s wounds. They were all out of ointment when facing the latter side in the league this weekend though, limping out 1-0 losers to Roy Hodgson’s men.
Erik ten Hag’s side have won three and lost four of their Premier League matches so far. They were also beaten 4-3 in a bizarre Champions League encounter with Bayern Munich. Even their wins have looked troubling, aside from the fine 3-0 victory over Palace in the cup. The Red Devils were fortunate to escape with victories over Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest, while they were hardly impressive in defeating winless Burnley.
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After finishing a creditable third last season, winning the Carabao Cup and reaching the FA Cup final, it looked like United finally had a platform to kick on from. The silverware monkey that had ridden them since 2017 was finally off their back. Ten Hag was more organised and authoritative than permanent predecessor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer while also being less bitter and stuck in his ways than interim failure Ralf Rangnick. The shadow of Cristiano Ronaldo had been allowed to pass, with the fading forward skulking off to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia. United had reasons to be cheerful going into this season.
An effective transfer window was then compromised by the need to meet Financial Fair Play regulations after incurring a charge. The Glazers half-hearted search for ‘strategic alternatives’ limped to a conclusion as United weren’t sure how much to spend or where to spend it. Mason Mount was signed from Chelsea with the apparent intention of making him a defensive midfielder, which he isn’t. Sofyan Amrabat was then loaned in for that purpose, but injuries at left back have seen him shunted out there. One of those injuries befell fellow loanee Sergio Reguilon, the first-choice third-choice left back signed to deputise Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia.
Andre Onana from Inter Milan looked a wise buy to replace David De Gea. He has suffered some teething problems but then De Gea himself did before going on to become a club legend. Rasmus Hojlund, a wonderkid forward from Atalanta, was the slightly-less-expensive Harry Kane alternative. Jonny Evans was the surprising signing to play central defence, with Harry Maguire refusing to clear his locker amid West Ham United’s interest. Altay Bayindir came in to provide cover for Onana.
This window of two halves isn’t the sole reason United are struggling. But it also doesn’t help that not enough was done to bring in the sort of players the club blatantly need. They are without an experienced top class striker, with undue pressure now lumped onto the 20-year-old Hojlund’s shoulders. Maguire is in need of an upgrade and as nostalgic as seeing him in red has been, that upgrade is not Evans.
Ten Hag must be wishing he’d brought in a right winger, too. While Antony’s absence due to ongoing abuse investigations could not have been forecast, Jadon Sancho’s loss of form and lack of trust was always going to explode. That it did so early in the season with a cutting social media post aimed at the manager has left Facundo Pellistri, the 21-year-old Uruguayan, to try and make that flank his own.
As well as widespread first team absences and disciplinary issues, United have suffered from a plain old loss of form. Marcus Rashford looks lost without a regular left back partner, particularly Shaw. Casemiro is playing how everyone thought he would last season, looking every inch the 31-year-old with over 600 professional games under his belt. Lautaro Martinez no longer epitomised the pitbull tendencies we’d grown used to before his injury. Bruno Fernandes is becoming less influential, the moments of magic more sparse.
Chaos off the pitch, lack of cohesion on it. Where do United go from here? Back to Old Trafford on Tuesday for the visit of Galatasaray. An old friend in Wilfried Zaha will return, the former Crystal Palace winger famously being the last signing of the Sir Alex Ferguson dynasty. That era feels a long time ago now. At the moment you feel United would simply settle for a return to last season’s form, with even a third-placed finish already looking remote.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
