5 things we learned about Man Utd in August

It’s rarely serene and tranquil at Old Trafford these days, but an encouraging summer off the pitch had Manchester United fans feeling optimistic that better things are on the horizon for Erik ten Hag.

However, even with Ineos’ injection of cash and new infrastructure, the Red Devils have looked a little lost on the pitch during the start of the 2024/25 season.

A penalty shootout defeat to Manchester City in the Community Shield was followed up by a dramatic victory over Fulham, but back-to-back losses to Brighton & Hove Albion and Liverpool have left supporters more than a little worried about United‘s prospects in 2024/25.

Here’s what we learned from Ten Hag’s side in August.

United can very much be all or nothing when it comes to taking on the Premier League‘s best sides. They’ve produced performances like last season’s FA Cup final triumph over Manchester City and been cast aside by teams like Liverpool in almost equal measure under Erik ten Hag.

While they played a City team bereft of most of their stars bar Erling Haaland after Euro 2024, the Red Devils still stuck gamely to their task and could have won again at Wembley had Bernardo Silva not equalised after Alejandro Garnacho struck.

This side has what it takes to make life difficult for more rounded opponents, but inconsistency continues to plague them.

Joshua Zirkzee’s late winner against Fulham got United’s campaign off to the start they needed. Holes throughout their setup were clear in that match but they ended the season opener with all three points.

The Dutchman was one of five signings made by United over the summer alongside Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Manuel Ugarte.

Zirkzee then showed in the Liverpool defeat he’s still a raw talent, but there’s been enough from De Ligt and Mazraoui to suggest they’re worthwhile additions to Ten Hag’s defence. They’ll each still need more time to adjust to the rigours of Premier League football, however.

United had better defensive numbers than a lot of their rivals last season, but it’s been a rather porous start this year. Five goals have been shipped in three games, with two being irritatingly similar.

Joao Pedro and Luis Diaz both scored with unmarked headers during wins for Brighton and Liverpool, showing the lack of awareness United’s full-backs are culpable of showing. It was a problem last term and it’s proving to be a thorn again this time around.

Ten Hag will hope his preferred starting XI can deliver when everyone’s fully fit, but for now it seems like United’s opponents know how to exploit their weaknesses.

2023/24 was a campaign to forget for Marcus Rashford but the hometown hero is yet to ditch the malaise that clouded him last season.

The 26-year-old just can’t seem to get any rhythm going. He has been successful with only three of his 15 attempted dribbles and is yet to even have a shot in the Premier League so far.

An in-form Rashford could undoubtedly help United challenge a little higher up the table, but right now he looks a long way short of the forward who struck 30 times in all competitions during Ten Hag’s debut campaign in charge.

Casemiro had a couple of career lowlights during his second season at United, often arriving when he was asked to play out of position at centre-back.

His stinker against Liverpool cannot be attributed to that. The Brazilian looked short of confidence and twice saw Luis Diaz and the Reds capitalise with goals after he carelessly gave away possession.

Manuel Ugarte was snapped up late in the summer transfer window and his tenacity and tackle-heavy approach can’t be included in the starting XI soon enough.

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