Man Utd launch investigation into injury crisis

Suraj Radia

• 13 Oct 2023 16:55 BST
• 4 min read

Manchester United have launched an investigation into their injury crisis, with Erik ten Hag having had 16 players suffer issues or become unavailable to him so far this season.

United have endured a difficult start to the season, losing six of their last ten games across all competitions, while Ten Hag has been unable to select his first choice XI at any point this campaign.

The constant shuffling of the team combined with controversy off the pitch surrounding a number of players has led to United having their worst start to a Premier League season ever, with the Red Devils sitting tenth after eight games.

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The Daily Mail state that officials from United’s medical department are actively seeking to identify if any patterns exist across the injuries, having already brought in Gary O’Driscoll as head of sports medicine from Arsenal.

While some players have suffered unfortunate and unpreventable contact injuries, a vast number have also endured muscular issues, with United’s medical staff looking into whether they have increased due to the extended number of games in the past year.

The winter World Cup last year saw a hectic calendar period and a higher volume of games with less recovery time, with United noting that rivals Manchester City have also encountered similar issues having played more games than any other English side.

How bad are United’s injury problems?

United currently have defenders Luke Shaw, Raphael Varane, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Tyrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez and Sergio Reguilon sidelined, while the youngsters Kobbie Mainoo and Amad Diallo are also injured.

Summer signings Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund have also missed extended portions of the season already while Jadon Sancho and Antony have been dealing with off-the-pitch controversy, meaning they have also been unavailable for selection.

It has led to just four players featuring in all of United’s league games this season in Andre Onana, Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, with Victor Lindelof and Diogo Dalot and the injured Martinez the only other players to start more than four of the eight matches.

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United’s eight current injuries are only behind Chelsea and Crystal Palace, with both London sides having missing players into the double digits as teams all across the league continue to struggle with fitness concerns.

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