Three Manchester United players are in trouble during Erik ten Hag’s next five games

Three Manchester United players are in danger of being replaced across Erik ten Hag’s next five games at the club.

Manchester United are in serious need of fixing their form across all competitions as Erik ten Hag embarks on a mission to save the club’s 2024/25 campaign.

The Old Trafford outfit currently sit 14th in the Premier League table and have drawn their opening two Europa League ties, and their next five games are crucial.

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Once domestic football resumes, United will welcome Brentford to Old Trafford in the Premier League before flying to Istanbul, where they will face Jose Mourinho’s fearsome Fenerbahce five days later.

They will then have a three-day break before travelling to face West Ham in London. This will be followed by a home tie in the Carabao Cup against Leicester City in midweek. Then, at the beginning of November, they will welcome Chelsea to Old Trafford.

While this stretch will undoubtedly be crucial for Ten Hag’s future, three players may be in danger of losing their place at the club should their performances not go their way.

Joshua Zirkzee

The first man on this list is new signing Joshua Zirkzee. After scoring off the bench on his debut against Fulham, many expected the 23-year-old to kick on, but partly due to inconsistent team performances, he has failed to score in his nine appearances since.

Combined with Rasmus Højlund’s return to the team, Zirkzee may find himself playing second-fiddle to the Danish striker in the coming weeks, with Ten Hag no doubt looking for a reliable up-front threat.

This is not to say that Højlund also doesn’t have his inconsistency problems, but as the 21-year-old is undoubtedly more clinical in the area, Zirkzee might see himself relegated to the bench.

Lisandro Martínez

Before this season, Lisandro Martínez was viewed as part of Ten Hag’s group of ‘undroppable’ players, but this has not been the case recently.

Other defenders, like Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans, have been in better form than the Argentina international. Martínez saw himself dropped to the bench as the aforementioned pair kept a clean sheet against Aston Villa.

Maguire has been ruled out of the next few games due to injury, meaning Martínez will compete with Matthijs de Ligt and Evans for the centre-back role over the next few weeks or may even fill in at left-back.

However, if he continues to perform poorly, Ten Hag could easily be forced to find a more creative solution that results in Martínez sitting on the bench.

Manuel Ugarte

Manuel Ugarte is a third player who may see reduced minutes over the next few weeks.

Aside from the fact that the Uruguay international is yet to hit full fitness, he may become a casualty of good form from Christian Eriksen.

Both the 23-year-old and Casemiro have yet to impress this season, while Eriksen has already scored six goals across the campaign. Many fans are pushing to see the Danish playmaker continue in the side.

Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes are still two players who Ten Hag will want to play as often as possible, meaning there is only one midfield spot for the three mentioned above. At this moment, Eriksen is the most attractive option.

Both Ugarte and Casemiro will have to spend a significant amount of time proving their time and worth to the side over the next few weeks if they want to see enough minutes in the first team.

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