Five Manchester United fixtures in September could shape Erik ten Hag's first season

It's fair to say that August was quite a mixed month for Manchester United. What started with so much hope quickly turned to anger and annoyance. With Erik ten Hag's side losing their first two matches of the Premier League season — at home to Brighton on the opening day and away at Brentford the week after — it was far from an ideal start for the Dutchman.

The defeat to Brighton was bad, but the thrashing United endured against Thomas Frank's side was catastrophic. Anger towards the Glazers intensified, and questions remained as to why United had not recruited a midfielder and an attacker — when it was clear that both were desperately needed.

As the club's fans continued to protest against the owners, United announced the signing of Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro, who arrived at Old Trafford as a five-time Champions League winner. The deal to sign the Brazilian was announced just before the Liverpool game — and it's at that point where United truly kickstarted their campaign.

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Ten Hag's men were incredibly impressive against Jurgen Klopp's side, and were deserving of their 2-1 victory. The attacking trio of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Elanga and Jadon Sancho all performed well against the Merseyside outfit — and all warranted their starting place against Southampton in the next game.

While it was far from a vintage performance at Saint Mary's Stadium, United got the job done. Bruno Fernandes grabbed the only goal of the game and this time, it was United's defenders that received most of the praise, with Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez forming a strong relationship at centre-back, while Diogo Dalot and Tyrell Malacia played well at full-back.

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