Erik ten Hag has been slammed for making a decision that Sir Alex Ferguson would not have allowed at Manchester United.
After enjoying an encouraging first season under Erik ten Hag, Man United have regressed this year and the manager’s future is now in doubt.
United are currently sixth in the Premier League table but are 11 points off the top four and require a minor miracle to qualify for the Champions League.
Ten Hag has overseen 11 league defeats this season, and two more in United’s final nine league outings would set an unwanted club record of 13 league losses in a single season.
The argument can be made that injuries have had a hugely detrimental influence on United’s campaign.
The muscle injuries picked up by Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof in recent days mean that 53 separate cases of injury or illness have caused United players to miss games this season.
However, in the opinion of journalist Samuel Luckhurst, a decision made by Ten Hag has played a part.
During the international break, Ten Hag and United allowed Martinez to travel to the United States to join up with the Argentina squad, despite that fact that he was still recovering from a knee injury and hadn’t played for six weeks.
The 26-year-old made his return as a second half substitute during United’s 1-1 draw with Brentford on Saturday, but this week he sustained a calf injury that will sidelined him for the next month.
Martinez replaced Lindelof, who suffered a hamstring injury during the game.
Erik ten Hag has faced speculation over his future (Getty)
In a post on X, Luckhurst argued legendary United manager Sir Alex Ferguson would not have allowed Martinez to travel during the international break.
“As much as Martinez would have enjoyed spending time in the Argentina camp, it was illogical to allow an injured player to fly to LA when he hadn’t played in six weeks,” he wrote.
“The question wouldn’t even have even been asked if Ferguson was the manager.”
United will travel to Chelsea on Thursday with few options in central defence.
Raphael Varane was withdrawn at half-time against Brentford as a precaution, but it remains to be seen whether or not he will be fit for the clash at Stamford Bridge.
With Luke Shaw unavailable, Harry Maguire could be partnered at the back by 19-year-old Willy Kambwala.
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