Manchester United Injury Record Highlights Key Erik ten Hag Dilemma

Manchester United suffered more injuries than any other Premier League club during the 2023/24 season. Erik ten Hag was consistently limited in his squad selection during his second campaign at Old Trafford.

Injury Stats Highlight Decisive Manchester United Issue

Premier League Leaders

According to data from Premier Injuries, Manchester United had 45 instances where a player missed at least one game through injury. Closely following the Red Devils are Chelsea, who suffered 43 injuries.

Manchester United had 21 separate players suffering injuries, surpassed only by Tottenham with 22. However, in terms of total days lost through injuries, the Red Devils had a better season than Newcastle, Sheffield Utd, Chelsea, Brighton, and Brentford.

Ten Hag’s (Justified) Excuse

Ten Hag has been vocal about United’s injury issues, particularly expressing his frustration over a lack of reliable options in the backline.

In a press conference last month, the Dutchman said (via the Guardian): “In 18 months, I have never had my favourite team on the pitch once, because players were injured – that concerns me. In fact, there was only one time, against City at home last season. That is the only time I had a full squad to pick my full team.”

The manager’s future at United is far from certain after an eighth-place finish in the Premier League. However, the Red Devils are, nonetheless, expected to have a reaction to their injury problems ahead of the next season.

What’s Next for United?

Earlier this month, the Mirror claimed Sir Jim Ratcliffe had ordered a “full-scale investigation” into United’s unprecedented injury crisis. The club will reportedly scrutinize Ten Hag’s training methods, as well as the running distances of players, and their rest time after games.

United’s injury crisis might also affect their transfer market choices, convincing them to opt for less injury-prone targets.