Man United hit with 5 fresh injury concerns as Reds lose final pre-season game vs Liverpool

Yes, you did read that correctly. Man United are dealing with 5 fresh injury issues in the wake of their final pre-season game vs Liverpool.

Manchester United and injuries are now synonymous with each other. Pre-season has been an absolute curse for the Red Devils on this front for the second straight summer.

Leny Yoro and Rasmus Hojlund are lost for the foreseeable, though against Liverpool, the treatment table troubles would grow exponentially.

Harry Maguire was left out of the game as a precaution, with the former United captain seemingly dealing with a small issue.

Then, during the 3-0 defeat against our North West rivals, no fewer than four players came off with issues. Jonny Evans was ill, Victor Lindelof came off as a precaution, Aaron Wan-Bissaka has a fresh issue while Will Fish suffered the worst of the lot with a nasty-looking impact injury…

Erik ten Hag offered his initial assessment on the issues immediately after the game, though it’s super tough to know just how serious the problems are. United just cannot catch a break at the moment.

What’s frustrating is that the performance, on the whole, was decent enough. It wasn’t a 3-0 game by any stretch of the imagination, though one thing I am losing faith in is the medical staff.

Whether it’s Ten Hag pushing these guys too hard or a failure to diagnose injuries properly, who knows? At this point, it feels more than just bad luck and there appears to be a deeper-rooted issue.

Sure, we’ll very possibly have three of these guys available for the Community Shield next week, but no other side in the country appears to be picking up injuries at such an alarming rate as United are. Something has to be done.

I don’t think playing on these American pitches is helping, though United cannot use that excuse for the massive number of problems they suffered in the 2023/24 campaign. They lost key figures on what felt like a weekly basis throughout the term and it has to be of serious concern to the Old Trafford hierarchy. One thing is for sure, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS will not allow this to continue to happen.

From a fan perspective, it’s just incredibly frustrating. Consistency is key. United need to rely on a key core of players that start every single game. That is not happening at the moment and the area that has been hit the hardest is the one that requires the most familiarity among players; defence.

It feels like the Red Devils are literally limping into the new season for the second campaign in a row. It goes without saying that Ten Hag is effectively trying to coach with one hand tied behind his back as a result.

Do you think it’s just bad luck at this stage? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.