Manchester United gained some breathing space with a narrow win against Luton. But there was also bad news again for coach Erik ten Hag – and for him personally
The injury worries at Manchester United continue. Although the Red Devils won their home game against promoted Luton Town 1-0 on Saturday, they lost Christian Eriksen and Rasmus Höjlund on the way. The midfielder had to retire shortly before the break with knee problems and was replaced by Mason Mount. Fellow countryman Höjlund, who has scored five times in his first four Champions League games but not yet in the league, suffered a hamstring problem in the 79th minute.
Coach Erik ten Hag, who also had to replace the sick full-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka at short notice for the match, was unable to give any precise details on the severity of the two injuries shortly after the final whistle. “Hopefully they’re not too bad,” was all he said.
It is already certain that the Dutchman himself will not be available to his team in the next Premier League game. When the Red Devils face Everton FC after the international break, ten Hag will be missing through yellow card suspension after being cautioned for the third time this season against Luton.
However, he can breathe a sigh of relief thanks to the important three-pointer secured by central defender Victor Lindelöf. Despite the recent 4:3 defeat at FC Copenhagen, which threatens an early exit from the Champions League and even jeopardizes third place in Bayern’s group, ten Hag drew a surprisingly positive interim conclusion on Saturday – for the league at least.
Ten Hag: “We’re actually in a pretty good position “
“Despite all the setbacks, we’re still in the top four,” he said, expressing his satisfaction with the current sixth place. “We’ve now won four of our last five games in the Premier League, which is good. We’re actually in a pretty good position. That’s a reason to be optimistic.”
Furthermore, ten Hag is firmly convinced that his team will get rolling as soon as there is a little more stability in terms of personnel. And “other teams will also suffer setbacks and drop points,” he hopes.
