“I shouldn’t have played…” – Erik ten Hag has repeated costly Manchester United mistake

Erik ten Hag has seemingly repeated a costly mistake at Manchester United following the latest injury news coming out of Old Trafford.

Manchester United have had a difficult start to the season, winning just three of their opening 10 fixtures while sitting 14th in the Premier League table.

Improvement is needed for the under-pressure Erik ten Hag and the latest injury news will not help that cause.

It has been confirmed that Kobbie Mainoo will be missing for several weeks following a muscular issue that kept him out of international duty with England last week.

Mainoo’s fitness has been a concern to many fans since the summer, where he was an important player at Euro 2024 for the Three Lions.

He came straight back into action for United with little time for rest over the summer and has looked physically strained during some games already.

The teenager was forced to come off early against Tottenham Hotspur before he returned to the line-up a week later against Aston Villa.

While he played most of the game at Villa Park, it seems that coming back so early did not help Mainoo and could have had an impact on this injury.

Last term, many were sympathetic to Ten Hag due to the mass amount of injuries within the United squad. However, this issue for Mainoo looks very similar to a mistake from last season.

Luke Shaw had suffered his own injury against The Villains in February before returning to the team a week later at Luton Town. He was rushed back, fell to injury and has not played for United since.

The left-back has since admitted that he should not have played that game but he was never going to say no to Ten Hag. Yet, the Dutch manager suffered without a recognised left-back for the remainder of that campaign.

“I felt something against Aston Villa and came off at half-time at Villa Park,” Shaw told reporters in the summer. 

“It’s kind of ­everyone’s fault. Partly my fault, partly medical staff, I think everyone would admit that. I didn’t train the whole week.

“The scan came back and there wasn’t too much there. But I didn’t train all week, then trained the day before the game.

“If the manager asks me to play, I’m never going to say no, [but] I shouldn’t have played.”

A similar story seems to have occurred in this instance. Mainoo was needed back in the team but the long-term impact of his injury will outweigh the single point earned against Unai Emery’s side.

While the 19-year-old is not expected to be out for an extended period, it would not be surprising if his outlay is longer than the “few weeks” described by the club.

With Manuel Ugarte yet to hit form and Casemiro less trusted than beforehand, Mainoo’s absence could be a big blow for United and it is simply a repeat of a mistake from last season.

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