Manchester United have just finished their pre-season tour in poor form (2 wins and 3 losses). This is their worst performance since the 2018-2019 season, when Jose Mourinho was still in charge of the club. The Red Devils also ended the tour with a crushing defeat to Liverpool and won only 1 out of 6 matches.

In addition to the poor stats, the “Red Devils” suffered heavy losses in terms of personnel when Rasmus Hojlund and Leny Yoro both suffered quite serious injuries. In addition, the defeats also exposed many weaknesses and shortcomings, as a sign of Ten Hag’s most difficult season at Man United.

After a season with a terrible record for goals conceded, defense continues to be the biggest concern for the Old Trafford team. Leny Yoro’s performance initially made the “Red Devils” fans feel satisfied.

However, Yoro broke his foot shortly after his debut and was out until November. A broken foot is one of the worst injuries any defender can suffer. Lisandro Martinez suffered the same in April 2023 and was forced to undergo a second surgery in September 2023.

The Frenchman’s injury is a headache for Erik ten Hag ahead of the new season, with Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelof all struggling with fitness issues. This means Martinez is the only defender fit enough to start in the upcoming Community Shield final.

In midfield, Casemiro ‘s decline in form continues to be a very difficult problem for Man United . Despite wearing the captain’s armband, the Brazilian midfielder has always been one of the worst players in recent matches. Goal described Casemiro as slow and barely able to keep up with the situation on the field.

With Kobbie Mainoo improving after his impressive performance at EURO 2024, MU needed to quickly find a more dynamic midfielder to partner the young English star. Manuel Ugarte was one of the targets targeted by the “Red Devils” leadership. However, this deal fell through when Man United did not accept the fee of more than 60 million Euros requested by PSG.

Rasmus Hojlund’s injury has also significantly weakened the attack. The Danish striker had a difficult first season with only 16 goals in all competitions. As soon as Hojlund was absent in February 2024, the “Red Devils” immediately played poorly and suffered a defeat against Fulham at Old Trafford.

In addition, rookie Joshua Zirkzee has not yet trained with his new teammates and needs time to adapt. According to Goal, Jadon Sancho will likely continue to play in the role of “false 9” in the Community Shield final against Manchester City. This is the position Sancho disappointed when tested against Real Betis and Liverpool on the summer tour.

The only positive point for Man United in the pre-season period came from Marcus Rashford’s position with 1 goal and 1 assist against Real Betis. The English winger is expected to have a strong revival after a poor 2023-2024 season. In addition, Amad Diallo also showed progress with 2 goals, promising to become a counterweight on the right wing with Antony.

It will be too early to judge Man United’s performance in the 2024-2025 season based on the results in the US. However, the weaknesses and shortcomings after the defeats will be a sign of another difficult season for Erik ten Hag at Man United.