Erik ten Hag’s pre-season warning has already come true – Manchester United must react

One of Erik ten Hag’s key warnings surrounding Manchester United’s 2024 pre-season has already come true, and the club must react.

Last season, Manchester United suffered an unprecedented injury crisis that completely decimated the squad, leaving Erik ten Hag‘s men eighth in the Premier League table and out of the Champions League before Christmas.

Key players such as Lisandro Martínez, Luke Shaw, and Casemiro were left on the treatment table for a number of months, with there coming a point where Jonny Evans, 36, was the club’s only fit natural centre-back.

Read More: Rasmus Højlund gives two-word injury update after Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United admission

The end of the season allowed many of United’s players to rest, reset, and recover, with a handful competing in international competitions, but speaking recently, Ten Hag warned that the injuries could soon pick up again due to the intense schedule that players have suffered over the last few years.

“The amount of games the fixture list had, the load on the players, the pressure on the players is so high,” Ten Hag said on Friday, ahead of the Arsenal tie. “And we are not the only team with so many injuries. And there were across the Premier League, there were many teams with a lot of injuries. We were not even the worst.

“What we had there was our bad luck. We had them all in the end of the season in the back four. And, of course, that cost us a lot of points, but the load on and the pressure on players is so immense. And this season it’s getting even worse because of the new model, the new format in Europe.

“It will happen again. I just mentioned it is the survival of the fittest. So one of the things so important in your structures is that you cover that, that fitness part with the medical staff, with performance and that you have to do things right.

“But also the players, they have to work in the right way because when the standards are so high, then you have to fulfil them. It’s only possible when you fulfil the highest standards. It’s not only on game day. On every day.”

Unfortunately, just one day later, Ten Hag’s prediction came true. On his return to the side, Rasmus Højlund scored a lovely opening goal against Arsenal early in the tie but had to come off just minutes later with an unspecified issue, while Leny Yoro then withdrew at the 30-minute mark.

Yoro, in particular, looked in discomfort, shaking his head and limping across the pitch before being replaced by Rhys Bennett.

“Of course, it is too short [to know about their injuries], and we have to wait over 24 hours, then we will hopefully know more,” Ten Hag said of the injuries at full-time.

“We were careful, especially with Leny [Yoro], as he only did 50 per cent of the [training] sessions. He has to come up, but let’s be positive and see what happens.”

Although some have speculated that the injuries were more a precaution than any specific problem, the tie still serves as a warning to United that they must react in a more appropriate manner for last season.

Even if an injury crisis occurs at the club that is not as cataclysmic as 2023/24, they must be prepared to deal with a high volume of problems. Since INEOS’ upheaval of the footballing staff, the physio staff has undergone a number of changes, and with Gary O’Driscoll at the head of the medical department, a more prompt and effective response must be made.

Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is released every Thursday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.