Erik ten Hag faces an unfamiliar midfield problem at Manchester United

Rarely has Erik ten Hag enjoyed an abundance of options at Manchester United and the Dutchman is not one to rotate unnecessarily.

United played more games than anyone else in Europe's top five leagues last season but Ten Hag's starting line-up became almost entirely predictable. Such was the consistency that the Glazers could have saved a few quid by reusing the team news graphic each week.

Ten Hag didn't have too many decisions to make between matches and that was no more evident than in midfield. Of the eight outfield players who played the most minutes across all competitions, three were Casemiro, Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes.

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Casemiro had been absent for the opening weeks of last season and Eriksen was finding his feet, but once the trio clicked they showed no signs of being displaced. They were unbeaten as a starting trio for 19 matches until being part of a 1-0 defeat at West Ham in May. It was a no-brainer for Ten Hag to keep that run ticking over.

The early-summer arrival of Mason Mount was tipped as a simple progression from Eriksen, with the former Chelsea midfielder set to take charge of the role and provide more legs in that area. However, the 24-year-old's start to life in Manchester has been underwhelming and hampered by injury.

Mount is not the only midfielder struggling, with Fernandes and Casemiro both unable to rediscover last season's form. The latter in particular has been way off the pace, helped in no part by a lack of support from those ahead of him, and the deadline-day loan arrival of Sofyan Amrabat suggests Ten Hag knew cover was needed.

And so