Manchester United’s trip to Crystal Palace is viewed by some as a must-win game for manager Erik ten Hag.
The Red Devils have been plagued by inconsistency this season, delivering topsy-turvy levels of performance that have put Ten Hag’s job at Old Trafford in significant jeopardy.
The Dutchman is trying to prove to new minority owners INEOS that he’s the right man to guide United through this latest period of transition, and he does still have a number of supporters in his camp despite their on-field woes.
One legitimate claim Ten Hag can make is that United have endured an unprecedented amount of injuries this season. The blame could be pointed at training methods and how the staff are conditioning the players between games, but it’s genuinely been freakish just how many injury setbacks the club have faced.
Heaviest hit ahead of the trip to Palace is Ten Hag’s backline, but it’s in almost every area that there’s concerns.
The good news is that goalkeeper Andre Onana, who has been ridiculously overworked in terms of shot-stopping, is absolutely fine and he’ll be starting between the sticks.
The bad news is that Harry Maguire, Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof, Lisandro Martinez, Willy Kambwala, Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia all have injuries, essentially ripping out the entirety of United’s defence.
Jonny Evans isn’t fully fit either, but may be thrown in at the deep end, and United’s south London jaunt will almost certainly see Casemiro deployed once more as an emergency centre-back.
The news isn’t so bad in midfield, particularly now that Mason Mount is operational again after months on the sidelines.
There were concerns earlier in the week over the fitness of captain Bruno Fernandes (wrist) and also Scott McTominay, but the former is expected to lead United out as normal. Ordinarily, McTominay may have been given a little more time to recover from his recent knock, but Casemiro’s deployment in the backline means Kobbie Mainoo needs a hard-working partner in central midfield from the off.
In a surprise to absolutely nobody, Anthony Martial, whose United career is winding down with a whimper, is not fully fit because of a groin problem. Ten Hag recently confirmed that he’s been ‘partly’ training,…
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