Erik ten Hag missing presence of two Man Utd stars in battle to keep squad together

As he struggles to keep the Manchester United team together, Erik ten Hag is missing Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro from the team.

As he battles to keep the Manchester United squad cohesive, Erik ten Hag has missed the impact of Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez.

The Dutchman is reportedly having difficulty keeping important players at Old Trafford motivated following the team’s disastrous 1-0 loss to Newcastle United on Saturday, which marked their 10th loss of the year.

Due to serious concerns about the manager’s playing style, training regimen, and handling of Jadon Sancho—who was benched from the first team earlier this season—Ten Hag has reportedly lost half of the United dressing room.

The games that United plays against Chelsea, Bournemouth, Bayern Munich, and Liverpool could determine the future of Ten Hag.

Martinez is the team member who continues to support the former Ajax manager, even though it seems like he is losing support from some other players.

The Argentina international, who impressed in his debut season in England following his move from Ajax, has missed time due to a second foot surgery this year.

The 25-year-old, who isn’t expected to play again until after Christmas, has reportedly returned to the first team in recent weeks and is a “staunch supporter” of ten Hag, according to ESPN.

In recent weeks, Casemiro has also been out of the lineup for United as he recovers from a hamstring injury sustained in early November.

Both Martinez and Casemiro had a significant impact on the team during Ten Hag’s first season there, helping them win the Carabao Cup and place third in the league. Ten Hag has missed their presence.

Ten Hag is scheduled to address the media on Tuesday afternoon, and United will host Chelsea on Wednesday night.

Before Bayern Munich visits Old Trafford the following week, Bournemouth will be there on Saturday afternoon.

To have any chance of making it to the Champions League knockout stages, United must defeat the German champions. They will also need other outcomes to go their way that evening.