Manchester United supervisor Erik ten Hag has pointed the finger for this season’s common damage issues on the “overload” within the schedule, suggesting the membership “cannot forestall it”.
Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof have been each sidelined for a minimum of a month this week as a consequence of calf and hamstring muscle accidents respectively. For Martinez, it’s a third absence of the season, whereas Mason Mount, Casemiro, Luke Shaw, Rasmus Hojlund, Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and others have all had issues of various severity at completely different factors of the marketing campaign.
“You may’t forestall it and also you additionally see it’s not solely us,” Ten Hag mentioned to the press on Wednesday.
“The requirements that the Premier League, when it comes to depth, are so excessive and the overload into the schedule, additionally with worldwide soccer, is so enormous. We’ve all internationals in our squad and also you see it’s not solely us. [Manchester] Metropolis has issues, Liverpool has issues, Newcastle has issues, there are various different groups.
“On this second, particularly the defending division [is struggling]. However, in midfield and within the frontline, the gamers can be found.”
Lindelof suffered his damage in final weekend’s 1-1 draw towards Brentford. Martinez changed the Swede in that sport for his first look since selecting up a knee downside in February and succumbing to his calf pressure in coaching just a few days later. Raphael Varane got here off at half-time towards the Bees as a precaution, whereas Jonny Evans was unavailable altogether. Maguire had earlier been pressured to withdraw from England’s squad halfway by way of the worldwide break.
Fortuitously for Ten Hag, Maguire got here by way of the second half towards Brentford unscathed – his two hundredth look for the membership – whereas each Varane and Evans have been handed match to face Chelsea this week.
“No extra points,” Ten Hag mentioned of the present damage scenario at his press convention, which got here within the wake of Tuesday night time’s assertion on Martinez and Lindelof.
“Within the frontline and in midfield, we’re okay. We’ve choices there. Within the backline, we now have a scarcity of choices however the good factor is, this afternoon, again in coaching are Rapha Varane and Jonny Evans, and Harry Maguire was already again in coaching [on Tuesday].”
United have performed 42 video games in all competitions up to now and will play as much as ten extra throughout the Premier League and FA Cup, whereas many gamers have additionally been concerned in worldwide fixtures all season. It might even have been pushing 60 at membership degree by the tip of the marketing campaign had they progressed, as anticipated, additional within the Carabao Cup and Champions League.