Two Manchester United players have fixed a problem that left Roy Keane furious

Manchester United's midfield has been a constant headache for Erik ten Hag during a concerning start to the season but recent weeks may finally have given him some pain relief.

United endured a dismal start to their Premier League campaign, losing three of their first five games and conceding 10 goals in the process. In all matches, including tight wins over Wolves and Nottingham Forest, opposition teams seemed to have complete freedom in the middle of the pitch with Casemiro exposed.

Their issues were particularly evident in the 2-0 defeat at Tottenham in August. In just their second game of the season, United saw their midfield completely overrun by Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr while James Maddison was constantly in space.

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Ten Hag fielded a midfield three of Casemiro, Mason Mount and Bruno Fernandes in north London and that trio was widely regarded to be the Dutchman's first-choice unit for the season. But the balance wasn't close to being right and Roy Keane was hugely concerned at full-time.

"They just looked lightweight," Keane told Sky Sports. "You look at the six players high up the pitch, when you're out of possession, they're giving you absolutely nothing.

"You can almost carry one or two that don't give you much but can be match-winners, but United are carrying too many players who are not really at it. When these players think ‘Okay, I’ll forgive you for not doing the defensive stuff but you better be really good when you’re getting on it’, and they're not doing that.

"When I look at Mount and Fernandes, out of possession they look like schoolboys! They haven't got the