Manchester United are already benefitting from Alejandro Garnacho decision

On Saturday, Manchester United did something they hadn't done for nearly a month and for six successive matches: they scored in the second half.

United's season has threatened to come off the rails completely over the last month. The shock Europa League elimination to Sevilla ended the hopes of winning a treble, they only just managed to scrape past Brighton in the FA Cup semi-final and then the ridiculous way in which they dropped points to Tottenham, Brighton and West Ham began to put their seemingly nailed-on Champions League place in serious jeopardy.

Though Erik ten Hag's side still have a game in hand, the fact Liverpool have gained enough ground to come within a point of them has sent serious shivers of anxiety down many a spine. United have made plenty of progress this season but finishing outside of the top four would make it feel like a failure despite the end of the trophy drought.

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It's not as if United have played particularly badly as they have started every match positively and looked the team in the ascendency, taking comfortable leads on several occasions. The problem has come in the second half when fatigue sets in on a team that has had a more gruelling schedule than most in 2023.

United have massively faded after the break in their recent matches and thus have struggled to see games out. Even their recent victories have been narrow affairs. Though the rapidly declining energy issues can be explained by the extreme workload, it also shows the frailties in Ten Hag's squad.

The Dutchman has had to heavily rely on a small number of players as he doesn't believe any of the alternatives can equal their level of performance. Bruno