Erik ten Hag must return to Manchester United plan he tried to move on from this summer vs Spurs

There was plenty wrong with Manchester United's performance on Monday night but the biggest concern for Erik ten Hag will be the lack of control.

United rode their luck against an electric but wasteful Wolves side and managed to find the moment of quality that led to Raphael Varane's winner. They were second best across the board and the win was not by design.

Midfield was a particular point of concern for Ten Hag, with Wolves given the freedom of Old Trafford to drive through the middle of the park. Matheus Cunha must have thought he was playing against nine men at times, such was the space ahead of him.

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Casemiro was exposed as the lone defensive anchor with United often losing possession in sloppy areas and finding themselves unprepared for the counter.

"We spoke in pre-season about how Mount and Fernandes were playing so high up in those No.10 positions that Casemiro was being left all on his own," Gary Neville said after full-time. "That can’t be allowed to happen.

"No team can leave a defensive midfielder on their own, especially one that isn’t mobile like Casemiro as much as he reads the game well. I think Ten Hag is going to be forced to bring someone else in to play alongside Casemiro, someone that can hold the ball well."

Ten Hag has someone that can 'hold the ball well' in his squad, and it was only when Christian Eriksen came off the bench that United started to exert some level of control - although it was far from perfect. The 31-year-old looked set to take on a more reserved role this season but