Manchester United to Fall at the Final Hurdle?

DATE_FORMAT_LC5 1947

The first season in charge for a manager is never easy, especially at a top football club like Manchester United.

Erik ten Hag has done well this season having had to deal with everything that has been happening off the pitch in terms of the sale of the club.

The Dutchman had to make a strong call about Cristiano Ronaldo and had no financial backing in the January transfer window, forcing him to sign players on loan.

Nonetheless, Manchester United have won the League Cup, have a place in the semi-final of the FA Cup, are one game away from the semi-final of the Europa League, and are well placed to finish in the top four of the Premier League.

We are in the closing stages of the season but could things be about to go wrong at the final hurdle for the Red Devils.

The 2-2 draw at home against Sevilla could prove to be costly for Manchester United. They were 2-0 up and cruising in the first leg at Old Trafford and should have been 3 or 4 goals up going into the final stages.

Raphael Varane was withdrawn at half-time as a precaution and a mistake from Tyrell Malacia gifted a goal to Sevilla.

A second own goal, this time by Harry Maguire, gifted the Spanish club a draw, which was not a reflection of the overall performance by Manchester United.

Following the concession of the first goal, Lisandro Martinez went down with a foot injury off the ball. It appears the Argentine is going to be out for some time in what is a massive blow for Manchester United.

Martinez joins Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw, Alejandro Garnacho, Scott McTominay, and possibly Varane on the treatment table.

While Manchester United may be able to do without Rashford, Garnacho, and McTominay for a few matches, the final score against Sevilla shows they are not the same team without Shaw, Martinez, and Varane.

If all three are unavailable for Manchester United in the coming weeks, it could prove extremely costly with games coming up against Brighton in the FA Cup semi-final, Sevilla in the Europa League quarter-final, and Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.

The long season could finally catch up with the players and not adding more players in the January transfer window could prove to be a big mistake.

Much of the first team squad played at the World Cup and with Manchester United going deep in all competition, the strain on the players has been huge this season.

It would be a massive disappointment if Manchester United fail to qualify for the Champions League but without Martinez at the back and worries over the fitness of Varane and Shaw, there is a real danger the final months of the season could prove to be frustrating for Manchester United.