Expert suggests Erik ten Hag in secret Man United talks to tackle ‘gruesome’ problem
Erik ten Hag will hold “behind closed doors” talks with his backroom staff to decide how to keep his Man United squad fit during their packed fixture list.
That is the view of medical expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in injury and data analysis, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.
Man United will play eight matches over the month of February, including games in the Premier League, Europa League and EFL Cup.
The Red Devils are still competing on four fronts this season after progressing in both the League Cup and FA Cup over January.
Man United already has a fairly lengthy injury list with Donny van de Beek, Anthony Martial and Diogo Dalot among a host of seven first-team stars out of action.
Dinnery believes Ten Hag will already be planning how to navigate the next month without putting too much stress on his squad.
“There will be conversations behind closed doors at Man United in terms of being able to manage load over the next month or two,” Dinnery told Football Insider.
“During these congested periods when games are coming thick and fast, there’s not a lot of high-intensity training going on, if any at all.
“It’s really just about managing the players’ recovery post-match and then getting them ready to go again.
“Players will be looked at on a daily basis in terms of where they are with stress and performance outputs.
“Ten Hag will look at those options with his staff.
“It’s going to be a gruesome challenge for Ten Hag and his squad to keep fit and keep up that momentum.
“But also when you’re winning games and you’re performing well, sometimes players want the games to keep coming thick and fast.“
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