Erik ten Hag tells Gary Neville the three new players Manchester United have missed the most

Erik ten Hag has explained to Gary Neville that there are three new Manchester United players that the squad have missed the most this season.

Manchester United has suffered over 60 cases of injury or other absence this season, and Erik ten Hag‘s men’s results have suffered as a consequence.

Although some of this campaign’s performances have been inexcusable, such as a 3-0 loss at Old Trafford against Bournemouth, the losses of key players such as Lisandro Martínez and Luke Shaw have meant the side has suffered in defence.

Read More: Erik ten Hag reveals secret reason behind Man United press conference bans

Before the season kicked off, many thought that United would see a progression in their style of play towards more of what Ajax saw under Ten Hag, but it has so far not come to fruition.

Former United captain Gary Neville interviewed Ten Hag on Wednesday afternoon. He asked the Dutch manager if he was frustrated that his style of play has not developed this season in the same way he’d hoped.

“Frustration [at the style of play not working] is not the right word because I’m a realistic man,” told Sky Sports. “Last year when I came in, you make your adjustments but at the end of the day, it’s about winning games. From last year, we found a way to make a very successful team.”

PODCAST – Jadon Sancho: Is It Man United’s Fault? | BIG Rashford Debate! | What The Devil Ep 15

Continuing, Ten Hag told Neville that two of the key positions to developing his style, midfield and striker, have missed the players he had brought in due to a mix of injuries and inexperience, referencing Rasmus Højlund and Mason Mount.

“This year, we wanted to make the next step. We bought in a goalkeeper who can play out from the back, a dynamic midfielder in Mason Mount – who has been injured all season – and a goalscorer in Højlund who is young and needed the time.

“On one hand, we were quite confident we made the right choices and we can make the next step. But all the injuries are coming, and we made so many changes in some positions, like the back four.

“We’ve now played 47 games and we had 30 combinations in the back four. They weren’t from choices you make, they were forced choices because the players were injured… anyone with even a little bit of knowledge about football, they will know it will have a huge impact.”

Then, Ten Hag also admitted that a third player they had missed was Casemiro, who underwent a three-month hamstring problem between November and February.

“Then Casemiro was injured for a long period. We had so many issues in the team that you can’t always play the way you want to play.

“But the fans want to see a successful team, a team that’s winning. What we always try to do, and it’s a compliment to the team, in every game, they went for it and they had a spirit.

“We make the adjustments a little bit in our way of play because when you don’t have a left-footed centre back or on the left side in the full-back position, you have to make adjustments you want to play, so we did.

“We are not where we want to be with the way we want to play, but the headlines are still there because we want to be proactive, be dynamic and we want to play with a high line. That’s what we always aim for.”

However, in conclusion, Ten Hag stated that he thinks his side has improved since the start of the season, having lost fewer games and scored more goals.

“We have made improvements. We score more goals after the winter break, and also we were more consistent. We haven’t have so many defeats in 2024 – only three defeats – but we draw too much. What we can do is put ourselves in a winning position, but then you have to draw to bring it over the line.

“When you have so many changes in back four, the rules and principles remain the same, but the patterns are not there. We don’t bring the results and we know that.”