'Changed strategies' - Erik ten Hag explains what Manchester United are doing to avoid more injuries

Erik ten Hag has warned that Manchester United could incur more injury issues this season with the change in format of the European competitions.

United recorded 66 cases of injury or illness that caused a player to miss a game last season and they hired physio Jordan Reece from Arsenal to replace Richard Merron earlier this summer.

Former Arsenal doctor Gary O'Driscoll was appointed the head of medicine last year but started in September and United's decimated defence heavily accounted for a Premier League-era record 14 defeats in 2023-24.

United will play eight games in the Europa League as part of the new league format before the knockout stage, having previously contested six group games in the Europa or Champions League.

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Ten Hag highlighted the schedule as the major reason behind the rising injury tolls at clubs last season. "So many reasons," he said when asked about United's injury record. "The amount of games. The fixture list. The load on the players, the pressure on the players is so high and we are not the only team with so many injuries.

"Across the Premier League, there were so many injuries, we were not even the worst, bad luck, we had them at the end of the season in the back four and it cost us a lot of points.

"The load and the pressure on players is so immense and this season is getting even worse with the new model in Europe. It (rising injury tolls) will happen. I just mentioned it, it's survival of the fittest."

Ten Hag is overseeing double sessions at United's pre-season tour training base at UCLA, where they are preparing for their third friendly against Arsenal in Los Angeles on