United’s gigantic issues

Well, according to former United academy product Danny Higginbotham, United have a problem that really has been an issue for the whole season, including the opening game of the season against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford.

Cut-back goals or chances from wingers cutting the ball back to an oncoming midfielder or forward has been an issue that the Red Devils have been unable to deal with throughout this campaign.

Whether it’s Casemiro, Sofyan Amrabat, Scott McTominay or Kobbie Mainoo in that holding role, the Red Devils continue to concede countless chances from cut-backs which hints at a wider issue.

Writing on X, Higginbotham said: “Well-deserved win for Forest. One of the key issues for Man United is that they concede very similar goals like the two today. Team is constantly stretched.

“The midfield and attack press high whilst the defence drops.

“You have to do one or the other as a group not a bit of both.”

United’s structural problem

The issue, as Higginbottom eluded to, is that Erik ten Hag seems to instruct his forwards and midfielders to press very high but the problem is that the defence doesn’t match this.

This, therefore, means that the defence and midfield are not close to each other which leads to these rather easy chances from cut-backs.

Chances have been consistent from this and it is something that Ten Hag has to address otherwise his team will continue to be cut apart time and time again.

Players are not the issue, it’s the structure. This simply has to be solved sooner rather than later.