- United struggle to start the 2023/24 season
- Meulensteen slams Varane and Casemiro
- United prepare for the return of club football
WHAT HAPPENED? The 59-year-old has singled out Raphael Varane and Casemiro as weak points within the squad, with United struggling in the early stages of the 2023/24 campaign despite their recent 2-1 win against Brentford at Old Trafford.
WHAT THEY SAID: “United have certain shortcomings,” he said to ESPN. "[Varane] cannot handle the pace. The Premier League is dynamic. Everything goes at 100 kilometres per hour. That is the big problem in midfield. They have no energy and that is how the defence gets into trouble.
“He [Ten Hag] wants to put a lot of pressure on, with a lot of intensity. Just like at Ajax. But he doesn’t have the players for that. The players don’t have the mentality to constantly put pressure on. Casemiro, for example, can’t handle it at all. Ten Hag has a certain conviction about how he wants to play. But he has to find ways to get there.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: United currently sit in tenth place, with an eight-point gap already opening up between them and Premier League leaders Tottenham Hotspur.
United have also struggled in their European fixtures, with Wilfried Zaha's Galatasaray side securing a 3-2 win over the Red Devils in the Champions League last week, leaving Ten Hag's men at the bottom of Group A after two games.
Next Match
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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MAN UNITED? Much of the squad will now be joining up with their respective national teams during the break, as Ten Hag prepares for the return of domestic action next week. United travel to Bramall Lane to face Premier League strugglers Sheffield United on October 21.