The United manager will begin today preparing his injury-hit squad for their FA Cup fifth-round tie away to League One side Shrewsbury Town, ahead of Thursday’s second leg against Midtjylland at Old Trafford where the home side will chase a 2-1 deficit.
Advertisement
United led through Memphis Depay’s 37th-minute finish, but Pione Sisto levelled seven minutes later as he took advantage of a Carrick mistake, and Midtjylland substitute Paul Onuachu then fired in a fine strike 13 minutes from time.
“You don’t only have to be a good player to play for this club, but you have to be mentally tough”.
Divisions in the Old Trafford hierarchy over who replaces Van Gaal have allowed the Dutchman to limp on, despite United winning a pitiful nine of their last 27 games. “So I think that we’ve only got ourselves to blame for the result”.
Although most of the players recognise that they are also responsible for the dismal showing on the field, many of them believe that the arrival of Jose Mourinho can reinvigorate the club.
“Even by the standards of some United defeats this season, it was a joyless experience – and unless there is a marked improvement at Shrewsbury in the FA Cup on Monday, it could get even worse for Louis van Gaal”, Savage wrote in his Daily Mirror column.
“We need to start rewarding these fans who travel so far and give us great support throughout the whole game”.
The manager, Louis Van Gaal pointed to the total of 14 injured players as a prime reason for the defeat but Carrick refused to do so.
Mourinho has not spoken about the United issue at all since leaving Chelsea on Dec 18 and is mindful of not being seen to tout for the job. But in order to do so, they really need to perform better than their recent performance against a club who had not played for 71 days before the clash. “If we are at our best then we should win the game but it is not as easy as that”.
Manchester United have won just nine of their past 27 games in all competitions.
With keeper David de Gea injuring a knee during the warm-up to join a lengthy casualty list that includes captain Wayne Rooney, Van Gaal cited injuries as a factor in the defeat. “They can do it because when you see the second half, maybe they are right”.
But Manchester United have never played so aimlessly in one of the backwaters of European football. “We had a couple of chances to score more goals but for their goalkeeper”.
Advertisement
Sergio Romero put in a superb performance in De Gea’s absence but the Argentine could not prevent Man United losing 2-1.
