Erik ten Hag is treading dangerous line with three Manchester United players ahead of West Ham

Erik ten Hag is treading a dangerous line with three Manchester United players ahead of their clash against West Ham this weekend.

Manchester United have had an underwhelming start to Erik ten Hag’s third season in charge at Old Trafford.

The team sit 12th in the Premier League while also loitering 21st in the new-look Europa League table following three consecutive draws in Europe.

Ten Hag has recently complained about the emerging injury issues this season with the likes of Kobbie Mainoo and Luke Shaw unavailable ahead of the upcoming clash against West Ham.

However, the United manager is not handling his squad extremely well and certain players are in danger of being overloaded – three in particular.

Diogo Dalot

Diogo Dalot has started the club’s last 45 fixtures in all competitions, with 40 of those being full 90 minute games and a further two being 120 minutes.

The right-back was criticised on Thursday evening for overhitting a pass to Marcus Rashford in the penalty area but there are bigger concerns with him.

Dalot has been the only United defender to avoid injuries since the beginning of last season and is currently one of two fit fullbacks at the club.

While he is important for Ten Hag, the manager has got to find space to rest him or even let him come off early in games.

Alejandro Garnacho

Alejandro Garnacho came on at half-time against FC Porto earlier this month despite being a doubt for the game ahead of time with a knee issue.

He replaced Marcus Rashford and had strapping visable on his left knee. That has also been the case in the three games since then.

Garnacho has played 90 minutes in two of those, while coming off in the 89th minute against Brentford.

After a hectic season last term, it seemed sensible to give Garnacho some rest this term. That happened in the opening weeks due to his participation at Copa America.

But it is understandable to now have concerns for the Argentine winger, especially after Kobbie Mainoo suffered injury from overplaying.

Christian Eriksen

Christian Eriksen was not expected to play a significant role for United this term but is currently one of the team’s most in-form players.

Yet, the 32-year-old was one of only three midfielders named in the squad to face Fenerbahce and has now started eight of the club’s last nine games. He also started both games for Denmark during the international break.

The older midfielder is at risk, like the others mentioned, of potential injuries. This is obviously not an easy fix for Ten Hag, who is under pressure and has limited replacements.

Yet, he will remember how impactful the injury crisis was last term and the (lack of) rotation from him so far could lead to a slippery slope.

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