United Bounce Back
Manchester United have had a very tough run of fixtures to start the season, as well as the injury bug plaguing the current squad. After a bounce 4-3 in the club’s first Champions League matchup vs. European giants Bayern Munich, the Reds returned back to England to face off against bottom tier Premier League, Burnley.
In a game that is away at an inferior opponent, you always know you could expect the opposition to play as hard as they can. United have had problems in the past with squeaking away wins or draws vs. clubs that they are much better than, and getting results against stronger teams when they probably should not get one. In this case, Burnley have nothing to lose, they are tied at rock bottom of the Premiership and this was a must-win game, for both sides.
Surprising MOTM was Jonny Evans, the former United CB who returned to the club this summer to do some training, and help guide the young guys in the right direction, was forced to start due to the sheer amount of Injuries in the lineup. Not only did he put in a shift at defense, he also scored a goal (which was later deemed offsides), and then assisted the lone goal to the Captain, Bruno Fernandes.
United did have issues with the likes of Luca Koleosho making it tough on Diogo Dalot, and Tottenham loanee Sergi Reguilon. The affair ended in a 1-0 win for Erik Ten Hag’s Red Devils. Though it was far from perfect, it was a much-needed win for a squad that has seemingly had its souls ripped from them with the injuries and losses in big games. Though it is incredibly early in the season, United still face several challenges within the squad.
The Jadon Sancho saga has continued as the young winger deactivated his social media after backlash about him not apologizing to the manager, ETH, after a Tweet that he posted bashing him after the Tottenham loss earlier this season. Antony, another winger for United, is under investigation for sexual assault against former partners, which some have come out and said that it is not true. Not only that, but the injuries to first team players such as Lissandro Martinez, Mason Mount, Raphael Varane (who just appeared in the Burnley game for 10 minutes), Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Luke Shaw have all been ruled out for the foreseeable future.
It is far from smooth sailing for United, but with a win against Burnley and some favorable fixtures coming up for the Red Devils, keep an eye on them to start to creep back into the top four come the January transfer window.
