Erik ten Hag admits that his Manchester United squad is just one injury away from a problem in midfield and attack.
The Red Devils have so far failed to add to their attacking options this summer and the new manager cited his availability issues against Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday:
“Now we are in the department of midfield and offence, you have seen when we have one injury, we have a problem. That’s clear.”
The Dutchman was forced to use Christian Eriksen as a false nine in the first half, with wantaway striker Cristiano Ronaldo lacking in fitness due to his self-imposed exile during preseason.
The Portugal captain may return sooner than Ten Hag would like today against Brentford, but the lack of offensive weapons is clear.
First choice wingers Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford are backed up by the unpolished Anthony Elanga and nobody with any senior experience.
The situation with Ronaldo is expected to rumble on despite seemingly everyone in Europe distancing themselves with a move for him.
Additionally the midfield issues that have been a feature of Manchester United since Paul Scholes’ retirement look worse than ever, with Ten Hag forced to depend on Scott McTominay and Fred, with only James Garner as backup in a deep position.
The former Ajax boss would certainly have preferred business to be done earlier to address these issues:
“Once again, it would be my preference because we could be starting the process earlier, quite clear.”
However he is insistent that incoming players are the proper fit for his squad:
“But at the end of the day, the season is long, and you have to get in the right players.”
With United increasingly confident of signing Frenkie de Jong before the window closes, it is clear who the “right player” is for Erik ten Hag as far as midfield goes.
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