Erik ten Hag hasn’t had as bad an injury crisis this year as the one he had to contend with last year but that’s not a high bar to clear at all.
In fact, so bad was the Man Utd injury crisis of the 2023/24 season, that it has permanently changed Erik ten Hag’s view on rotation.
Marcus Rashford was subbed off puzzlingly vs FC Porto and his first-choice centre-back pairing was “rested” vs Aston Villa.
That cautious attitude has resulted in a decrease in injuries but ahead of their next game vs Brentford in the Premier League, there is a crisis brewing again.
Here’s the latest on Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia as the Man Utd squad faces a fullback crisis due to recent developments.
Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw injury update
So far, Ten Hag has had options to set up his team in the manner he likes because the midfield options are plenty, Rasmus Hojlund returned to give options up top, and there are alternatives at centre-back too.
One position where the depth was thin was fullbacks, where Noussair Mazraoui and Diogo Dalot were ever-present since Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw were both recovering.
Recently, Noussair Mazraoui was ruled out after surgery for a heart issue which leaves Dalot as the only senior fullback available.
However, Ten Hag’s Luke Shaw injury update before the break seemed to hint that the English international could be back after the break.
Now, The Athletic report that both Shaw and Malacia are expected to be unavailable for this one, plunging the team into a fullback crisis.
Malacia was never really a candidate to return here since he’ll be coming back from an injury that has kept him out of action for nearly 18 months now.
He will probably start with some minutes for the U21s and considering he hasn’t even returned to full training yet, that is not a surprise.
Shaw, however, continues to frustrate Man Utd fans with his continued absence. He is yet to make an appearance this season for United and he has appeared more recently for England than he has for the club.
How do Man Utd cope with the injury crisis?
Since Dalot was managing at left-back in an inverted role when Mazraoui was available, it is expected that the Portuguese will return to his favoured right-back role now.
United have two left-footed defenders in the squad if Ten Hag wants an overlapping option, in which case Jonny Evans and Lisandro Martinez are candidates to come in as the left-back.
If the Man Utd manager is looking to replicate the inverted full-back role and get his left-back in midfield, then he might deploy Victor Lindelof there so he can come in on his right foot.
However, that is a dangerous ploy vs Brentford because they have tricky wingers on either side. Lindelof and Evans might lack the pack and guile to keep up with them.
As it stands, putting Martinez there is the best option because he can also help with the buildup while retaining the terrier-like ability to defend against tricky wingers.
Matthijs de Ligt didn’t play in recent internationals so he should return to the centre of defence alongside Jonny Evans to maintain a left-right combination with Dalot going back on his favoured side.
As a wildcard, Harry Amass is an exciting prospect but nothing about Ten Hag’s handling of the teenager so far suggests that he will be given a chance here.
It’s not ideal but not entirely unexpected either since every fullback option at the club is injury-prone out side of Dalot.
It’s a crisis but entirely of United and Ten Hag’s own making. Now it’s time to make the best out of it.
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