Manchester United need to start responding to the demand Erik ten Hag set 13 months ago

Manchester United will be targeting a return to winning ways when they travel to St Mary's to face Southampton on Saturday lunchtime.

Erik ten Hag's side were beaten 3-0 by Liverpool prior to the international break, marking a second consecutive defeat. They were beaten 2-1 by Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium eight days earlier.

The trip to St Mary's will mark the beginning of a relentless period for United; they will play seven times in just 23 days, appearing in three different competitions.

READ MORE: Matthijs de Ligt can follow Harry Maguire blueprint at United after Netherlands nightmare

READ MORE: United insist they haven't broken FFP or PSR rules after posting £113m loss

Of the seven fixtures on the horizon between now and the October international break, four of them are away from home. Following the trip to St Mary's this weekend, they will travel to Crystal Palace, FC Porto and Aston Villa.

Each of those four matches will present very different tests for Ten Hag and his players. As ever, though, they will be expected to win each of them.

United's away record in the Premier League under Ten Hag is far from fruitful. Of the 39 away league games he has overseen during his time in charge, he has led United to three points in 16 of them, losing the exact same number.

In 2022/23 - Ten Hag's first season in charge - United turned Old Trafford back into a fortress, winning 15 of their 19 home league games, amassing 48 points. Only Manchester City won more points on their own patch that season.

Away from home, however, United won just eight of their 19 assignments, picking up 21 points fewer. As a result, ahead of United's first away game of last season - a 2-0 defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium