Erik ten Hag rues absence of Eriksen and Casemiro in Manchester United’s midfield
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Christian Eriksen (left) is out with an ankle injury, while Casemiro is serving a four-match suspension.
PHOTOS: REUTERS, AFP
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LONDON – The absence of Christian Eriksen and Casemiro is one of the main reasons why Manchester United are struggling for results in recent weeks, as games are “decided in midfield”, manager Erik ten Hag said on Tuesday.
Denmark midfielder Eriksen was ruled out for up to three months in late January
The Brazilian has been one of ten Hag’s most influential players since he was signed in a deal worth €70 million (S$101.8 million),
“They’re two quality players in the midfield department, games will always be decided in midfield,” ten Hag said, ahead of Wednesday’s home game against seventh-placed Brentford.
“So when you miss two quality players, it’s clear. But you have a squad, if you don’t have them, you still have to win.”
While Casemiro is suspended for two more matches – against Brentford and Everton – ten Hag said Eriksen is back in training but not yet ready for action.
“Not for tomorrow but he’s returning to team training today, so we have to see now how quickly he can make progress,” the Dutchman added.
United’s 2-0 loss to Newcastle United
That winless run includes a 7-0 thrashing by Liverpool
Ten Hag was not downcast, though. He said: “We know we can beat Premier League teams. We had a very bad performance (against Newcastle on Sunday) because the opponent wanted it more than us. They were sharper.”
United will have to be much sharper than the last time they played against Brentford in August, when they were hammered 4-0
Brentford manager Thomas Frank is confident his team “can do something” in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford, despite calling it potentially their toughest game of the season.
He said: “We are going away to the biggest away ground, with those fans, against a very good side that are much more stable... They’ve just won their first trophy and they’re fighting for a Champions League spot.
“They lost (on Sunday), so they will want to bounce back. Plus, we beat them last time... It will be difficult, but we believe that we can do something.”
Brentford manager Thomas Frank is confident his team “can do something” in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Off the pitch, British government officials have privately flagged concerns about United bidder Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani,
The reservations, voiced internally over the past few weeks by senior government officials working on football governance, have focused on previous regulatory failings at the British unit of the Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB), where Sheikh Jassim has been chairman since 2006, according to the people who declined to comment discussing internal matters.
While there is no suggestion that Britain is set to intervene to block Sheikh Jassim’s bid, the concerns by the government suggest ministers may put pressure on the Premier League to pose its own questions when it conducts its due diligence on United’s suitors.
Spokesmen for Sheikh Jassim and the British government’s Department of Culture, Media and Sport declined to comment.
The reservations by officials relate to Sheikh Jassim’s management of QIB, centring on a £1.4 million (S$2.3 million) fine given to the British unit in 2016 by the Bank of England for violating capital requirements that left the firm exposed to high levels of risk.
The reservations about Sheikh Jassim come in the wake of concerns over Newcastle’s owners, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), over comments made during the legal proceedings between the PGA Tour and the Saudi-backed breakaway LIV Golf tour in the United States.
Newcastle chairman and LIV Golf chief Yasir Al-Rumayyan, who is the governor of PIF, was described by his own lawyers as “a sitting minister of the government” with “sovereign immunity”.
This is in stark contrast to the “legal assurances” the Premier League were given that the Saudi government was not part of the Newcastle takeover in 2021.
The Premier League’s chief executive officer, Richard Masters, had said that year that the organisation “can remove the consortium as owners of the club” if it was found there was Saudi government involvement in Newcastle.
Last week, Masters told British Members of Parliament that he cannot comment on whether the Premier League is probing Newcastle’s owners or reviewing its approval of the club’s 2021 takeover.
The Magpies will face relegation-threatened West Ham United at the London Stadium on Wednesday. BLOOMBERG, REUTERS
