Premier League: Erik ten Hag claims 'injuries hold us back' after Manchester United's latest defeat
Premier League: Erik ten Hag claims 'injuries hold us back' after Manchester United's latest defeat
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has blamed injuries for his team’s recent debacle in the Premier League after they lost to Nottingham Forest. Manchester United ended 2023 on a low as they were eliminated in the group stage of the Champions League while the 2-1 defeat to Forest on Saturday (Dec 30) was their ninth of the Premier League campaign. United have endured a chaotic campaign so far as they flirt with injuries and board changes in the hierarchy.
Ten Hag blames injuries
"The injuries. Also some issues but mainly the injuries hold us back in the process. In January we have a lot of players returning so then our levels can be higher,” Ten Hag said in the post-match on Saturday.
As things stand, United are currently missing 13 first-team players including the likes of Casemiro and Victor Lindeloff. They also have Jadon Sancho who is not in the first team, having fallen out with the manager.
United’s defeat to Forest is their ninth of the Premier League season, the same as they had in the entire of last season. They have 10 matches so far in the league while their solitary draw came against Liverpool earlier this month. They currently are seventh in the Premier League standings but could be ninth by Tuesday evening if Brighton and Newcastle win their matches.
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On the off-field battle, United had several board changes with the appointment of Dave Brailsford as the new Sporting Director. He is likely to take charge in the coming days after Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos Group agreed to buy a 25% stake in Manchester United on Christmas Eve.
"Definitely [Dave Brailsford] will see we have our problems. You want to build on the last result but we have to change our striker,” Ten Hag added on off-field issues.
Currently, United are nine points adrift of the fourth spot, which could be more if teams above them win their games in hand. Considering their current run they will need a much-improved performance toreach the top four and book a place in the expanded Champions League version of the 2024-25 season.
