Manchester United began their Premier League campaign with a nervy but deserved win over Fulham at Old Trafford which will do them a world of good.
United came through the wastefulness to secure a 1-0 win courtesy of Joshua Zirkzee’s late winner but nobody is under any illusions that this team is a finished product.
Of course, Erik ten Hag’s comments before the game were twisted and taken out of context to intensify the spotlight on him but the team is building towards something right now.
In the meantime, functional wins are crucial and now, Gary Neville has said that the win was exactly what they needed and there’s one ‘excuse’ that Ten Hag and his coaching staff can’t use this year.
Gary Neville on Man United’s state
Speaking on the Gary Neville Podcast by Sky, Neville said that winning was ‘very important’ and for Ten Hag, it’s about finding balance in the team.
He found it worrying that Manchester United changed their centre-back pairing again during the game, as Harry Maguire was subbed off for Matthijs de Ligt due to a precaution.
This brought him to talk about avoiding what could quickly become a ‘pattern’ at United after the events of last season, something which Ten Hag can’t afford to rely on as an ‘excuse’ this season.
He said: “Winning was very important. They are still trying to find a balance, keeping the players fit. They changed the centre-back pairing during the game which is a bit of a worry.
“They have to try and keep the players fit. I don’t think we can sit here in October where Erik ten Hag is talking about excuses of injuries. That can’t happen this year. If you have injuries in one season it could be deemed unlucky but if you have injuries in the second season that’s not unlucky, that’s a pattern.
“It’s what you are. It’s your recruitment, training, preparation, medical department, your sports science, all those things come into question. A long way to go for United but a good start with Zirkzee coming on a big bonus.” [United comments begin around the 12-minute mark].
Neville echoing fans’ thoughts
Manchester United fans and Gary Neville don’t always see eye to eye on their thoughts about the club but Neville is completely in the right about this issue.
It was believed that the injuries last season were a freak nightmare as not only did they keep happening, but the same players in the United squad seemed to get injured again and again.
With a revamped medical department and more cautious approach this season, it was expected that the situation was bound to improve at Old Trafford from the historic low of last year.
However, United ended up being without their marquee summer signing (Leny Yoro) and their first-choice centre-forward (Rasmus Hojlund) and left-back (Luke Shaw) even before a competitive ball was kicked this season.
If last season’s injury situation is repeated this time, then the scrutiny of the manager’s training methods and his approach to reintroducing players back to action after injuries will increase.
Maguire was taken off vs Fulham as a precaution so the hope is that he will be back in the squad for the game vs Brighton.
Utimately, injuries are part and parcel of the game but the very best teams minimise their risk as much as humanly possible, something which United need to prove they can do before it ceases to become a viable excuse for bad performances.
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