Erik ten Hag believes that the impact of one Manchester United player being unavailable to him this season has been underestimated.
Of course, it has been a difficult campaign at Old Trafford. Manchester United have struggled to build on the promise they showed during Erik ten Hag‘s first year at the club.
There are doubts over whether ten Hag deserves to continue beyond this season. But he will argue that there have been factors which have harmed his team’s chances of success.
And it seems that he feels that one player being sidelined with injury has had a much bigger impact than many actually realise.
Erik ten Hag thinks not having Tyrell Malacia available has hurt Manchester United more than many realise
Tyrell Malacia has become something of a forgotten man at Old Trafford. The 24-year-old has not made a single appearance for Manchester United this season due to a knee injury.
As reported by The Athletic, Malacia underwent surgery last summer. But it is looking increasingly likely that the Dutchman will not return until next season.
And The Athletic reports that ten Hag believes that not having Malacia has been a key reason for United’s struggles this season. In fact, he thinks that it has been underestimated how significant a blow it has been.
Left-back has definitely been an Achilles heel for United this season. Luke Shaw has only made 12 Premier League appearances due to his own injury issues.
They did sign Sergio Reguilon on loan in the summer. However, he returned to Spurs and subsequently joined Brentford in January.
It was Aaron Wan-Bissaka who started there against Liverpool at the weekend. He did have a decent game, but made a rash decision to dive in on Harvey Elliott late on.
January decision now looks quite baffling
It is surprising to hear that ten Hag believes that Malaria’s absence has been so important. He had a promising first year at Old Trafford. But he was arguably not a standout performer following his move from Feyenoord.
Perhaps this should lead to questions over the decision to terminate Reguilon’s loan.
While ten Hag did not see Malacia’s injury keeping him out so long, it was clear that he was always going to need some time to get back up to full speed again.
Reguilon actually impressed staff at Manchester United, even if he did not leave with the best record. And he has had some decent moments at Brentford.
With Malacia out for the season, letting Reguilon leave now looks questionable.
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