We gave Erik ten Hag a fully-fit Manchester United squad for a season and this is what happened

The 2023/24 season has been a tough one for Manchester United, but Erik ten Hag has been dealt a bad hand with injury issues hampering his side's campaign.

The likes of Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, Raphael Varane, Tyrell Malacia, Mason Mount and Anthony Martial have all had long spells on the sidelines this season, preventing Ten Hag from playing strongest team. In fact, the one time United managed to field what could be their best XI was in the 4-3 win away to Wolves - probably United's best-attacking display of the season.

The injury issues have had a big impact and without them, the pressure may not be mounting on Ten Hag as much as it currently is. So, if United could have managed to go injury-free all season long what would have happened? Let's take a look.

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To set up this simulation, we used Football Manager 2024 making sure each player who has spent time on the sidelines this season was fully fit. This is what happened.

With no injury issues, Martinez made the most appearances for United with Varane partnering the defender in 46 of United's games. A fully-fit Luke Shaw made 31 appearances while Casemiro was a regular, playing 47 times.

United were better in attack, highlighted by Rasmus Hojlund's goal count with the striker managing 28 for the season. Alejandro Garnacho was the best-performing player at the club, averaging a rating of 7.46 per game.

At the end of the season, Football Manager 2024 put together an overall best United XI based on performances, statistics, and other metrics. This is what it looked like:

Full United best