Ralf Rangnick must return to simple Manchester United tactic to solve major defensive problem

Although Manchester United look more defensively sound under Ralf Rangnick there's still a long way to go for them to be deemed a stable unit.

To be honest, anything would've been an improvement on the defensive displays we were forced to witness during Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's last few weeks at the helm. In the former United boss' final six games in charge, United conceded a whopping 15 goals.

Since Rangnick has come in there has been an improvement, albeit a small one. In 13 matches his team have conceded 10 goals. Not title-challenging form but far better than what was in danger of becoming the norm prior to his appointment.

Steady progress is better than no progress at all but United need to be better if they're to make it into the top four.

United fans have been desperately searching for a scapegoat following a run of three games without a win in all competitions and captain Harry Maguire has been the man pinpointed by most.

The 28-year-old hasn't been good enough in recent weeks and he's continued to make individual errors that have cost his team points.

He was at fault for Jay Rodriguez's goal at Burnley and almost played a part in Southampton taking a 2-1 lead on Saturday after Armando Broja made light work of brushing him off before fluffing his big opportunity.

Maguire is definitely being scrutinised more than most due to the fact he's the captain of the team, but his partnership with Raphael Varane is also a cause for concern.

In the nine matches that Maguire and Varane have played together in a back four, United have been victorious on just four occasions. That means they've won just 44% of games together and have failed to win in five of their last six games as a pair. That isn't good enough for a