Manchester United is enduring their worst-ever season in the modern Premier League era. Although they are typically perennial mainstays in the top four of the table, the Red Devils now sit eighth. The mighty Manchester side also has a negative goal differential with just three top-flight games remaining.

Because of this disappointing drop in the table, club brass is reportedly pondering a managerial change. Erik ten Hag has been at the helm since the summer of 2022. While the Dutchman did previously make a solid first impression, things have certainly soured in recent months.

Man Utd injured players: Only three senior United players have remained injury-free this season

Nevertheless, not everything wrong at the club has come down to results on the pitch. United has suffered a significant injury crisis almost entirely throughout the 2024/25 season, which has hindered the Dutchman’s ability to pick his best starting XI.

In fact, 25 total players have had at least one injury in the current campaign. This lengthy list includes nearly every single key player at the club. Captain Bruno Fernandes recently became the latest star to miss a match after he was unable to feature against Crystal Palace on Monday. It was the first game that the midfielder was injured during his entire spell with the team. The Red Devils suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat against the south London side without Fernandes.

The Portuguese playmaker, however, is far from the only key player to find themselves on the sidelines. Other potential starters such as Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane, Luke Shaw, Scott McTominay, Casemiro, Kobbie Maino, Mason Mount, Marcus Rashford, and Rasmus Hojlund have all missed matches due to various injuries this season.

Martinez and Mount, in particular, have particularly endured tough campaigns with the Red Devils. The Argentine defender has already missed 36 total games this season and is likely out against Arsenal at the weekend.

Mount has also been forced to remain on the sidelines for 27 total games in his debut season in Manchester. In total, only Diogo Dalot and Alejandro Garnacho, and Andre Onana are yet to suffer a match-preventing injury this season.

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Players have reportedly complained about needing rest throughout campaign

Ten Hag recently claimed that he has never seen so many injury issues in one season in his managerial career. However, he also recently dismissed the notion that he may be a bit too hard on his players during training. “No, we don’t train too hard. We need to be fit,” the Dutchman told Sky Sports. “The standards in this league, you need to be fit, otherwise you can’t match the standards that are required in a game. We don’t train too hard.”

Nevertheless, it was revealed earlier in the season that United players were exhausted before the campaign even began due to a heavy preseason fixture list. The Red Devils scheduled eight different preseason friendlies across five countries last summer.

Ten Hag then apparently denied a request by the players to have a day off following their defeat to Fulham back in February. The club has had mixed results on the pitch since the denied request. While the manager may be frustrated with the key absentees, he may be shooting himself in the foot by not giving the players ample rest.

Photo: IMAGO / PA Images