Only five Manchester United players might be guaranteed a start vs Everton

Whatever you have made of Manchester United's performances so far this season, it is impossible to pass judgement without taking their injury crisis into account.

After securing a respectable third-placed finish and clinching their first piece of silverware in six years last season, United planned to build on last season's successes this term. But as they prepare to resume their campaign against Everton at Goodison Park tomorrow, you can count their encouraging performances on just one hand.

Though United will make the relatively short trip to Merseyside as the Premier League's form team, having won four of their last five, their performances have left a lot to be desired. They have secured each of their seven league wins this season by a one-goal margin.

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But when you account for just how many injuries manager Erik ten Hag has had to contend with, it is hardly surprising that United have struggled for consistency. The Dutchman has constantly had to chop and change his XI as a direct result of the amount of injuries he has had to deal with

Thinking back to the start of the season, United's first-choice XI, minus Rasmus Hojlund's late arrival and a debate about who started on the right-wing, picked itself. Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez locked out the centre-back berths, Luke Shaw owned the left-back spot and Mason Mount joined Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes in midfield. Everyone had a clear picture in their minds of how United were meant to line up.

However, Ten Hag has been unable to deploy his preferred line-up because of the extent of the club's injury crisis, which