Erik ten Hag wants Manchester United stars to play through the pain barrier against Arsenal | OneFootball

An injury-ravaged Manchester United are all set to take on the Premier League’s top scorers Arsenal at Old Trafford on Sunday and manager Erik ten Hag has asked his players to play through the pain barrier to try and avoid humiliation.

The team did endure a nightmare last Monday as Crystal Palace thrashed them 0-4 with the Red Devils forced to play with their 14th different centre-back combination of Jonny Evans and Casemiro against the Eagles as Harry Maguire missed out.

Currently, almost the entire first-choice back four remains sidelined and the Dutchman hinted that he would not risk Lisandro Martinez from the start against the Gunners despite the Argentine’s wish to play.

The World Cup winner has suffered enough from being rushed back into action too soon and the plan is to try and keep him fit for the FA Cup final.

EtH wants more commitment from injured stars

However, the likes of Evans, Scott McTominay and Marcus Rashford, both of whom also returned to training recently, will hopefully try and make themselves available for selection from the start.

Ten Hag had publicly praised the Northern Ireland international, the Scot as well as Maguire for their ability to play through the pain barrier for the club and hopefully, a few more will raise their hands as the season finale approaches.

“Erik ten Hag wants his walking wounded to play through the pain and avoid a massacre by Arsenal,” wrote Neil Custis of The Sun.

“Ten Hag hopes his stars will be more “robust” and put up their hands for selection when he assembles his struggling squad on Saturday morning unless they have a serious injury.”

Players have often taken the easy way out at this club since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, a habit that the incompetent Glazers have allowed to fester and something that needs to be ended.

However, there is the risk that the additional load could lead to a further breakdown. The former Ajax coach wants more, which should be the norm, but considering the injury record this season, this might not be the best approach.

Major injury issues at the club

This season has been a disaster in terms of injuries with more than 60 separate cases of injury or illness with skipper Bruno Fernandes missing the Palace game, the first game he has ever missed because of injury since joining the club.

The medical department has been a joke with plenty of players prefering to diagnose their problems through their own doctors instead of trusting the club’s medical team.

The manager’s training methods are also under the scanner with the players frequently complaining about the training regimen as well as the running demands.

INEOS are far from impressed with the disarray at the club and Sir Jim Ratcliffe has ordered a probe into the injury issues at the club. They are also in the middle of overhauling the medical department.

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