Manchester United Can Finish in the Top 4 Despite an Ongoing Injury Crisis

It’s symbolic of Manchester United’s injury problems this season that Louis van Gaal is yet to play anything like his best team. The Dutchman, nearly five months into his first Premier League campaign, has fielded some incredibly makeshift sides due to a persistent and seemingly unrelenting injury crisis.

Each week there has been a new injury for Van Gaal to contend with, and the festive period has been no different.

Antonio Valencia was substituted at half-time in United’s final game of 2014, while Ashley Young hobbled off with a serious-looking injury against Stoke City on New Year's Day. Then, in United’s 2-0 win over Yeovil Town in the FA Cup, Rafael da Silva and Luke Shaw were both replaced at the interval due to injury.

In the space of just seven days, Van Gaal saw his four first-choice full-backs pick up injuries in the middle of three separate games. That has been the story of United’s season.

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If there’s one statistic that sums up how badly United have been hit by injuries, it’s that Robin van Persie is the only outfield player to have featured in 18 or more of the 20 Premier League games played so far this season.

For context, four Manchester City players, five Arsenal players and seven Chelsea players have at least 18 appearances to their name in the current campaign.

Some of United’s most injury-hit players this season have been Van Gaal’s six summer signings. Radamel Falcao and Angel Di Maria have featured 12 times, Ander Herrera and Marcos Rojo have made 10 appearances, while Shaw and Daley Blind have played only nine and eight times, respectively.

There’s no question that spending the best part of £150 million in one transfer window should be enough to ensure a top-four finish, but the simple fact is that Van Gaal hasn’t been able to call on his big-name signings often enough.

The six players signed in the summer are yet to feature in the same match squad this season, never mind share a pitch together.

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It remains unclear why United’s injury list has been so extensive during Van Gaal’s short tenure. The likelihood is that it’s no coincidence, since the number of muscular injuries, particularly ones suffered in training, suggests players are being overworked.

Yet Van Gaal has had no control over some of the worst injuries his players have sustained this season. Michael Carrick damaged ankle ligaments just days before the Dutchman was unveiled as United manager, while Blind suffered knee ligament damage on international duty. Injuries such as Rojo’s dislocated shoulder and Shaw’s ankle knock also absolve Van Gaal from any blame.

The type of injuries that remain concerning are the increasing number of muscular problems. In the last month alone, Chris Smalling, Di Maria, Valencia and Young have all pulled up short during separate games with muscular injuries, while Rojo suffered a thigh strain in training.

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Yet despite being decimated by injuries, United sit in third place in the Premier League. The defence playing in front of the outstanding David de Gea in goal has been ever-changing, and United are on an unbeaten run of 11 games.

The general feeling is that, if injuries subside in the coming weeks and months, United are more than capable of finishing inside the top four this season.

Having named the same team in consecutive games only once, finding some sort of consistency in his starting XI would be a bonus for Van Gaal in the second half of the season. That’s particularly true if the likes of Carrick, Di Maria, De Gea and Wayne Rooney stay fit and healthy.

Regardless, a top-four finish for United seems likelier now than it did in the early stages of the season.


All statistics via WhoScored.com, Squawka.com and PhysioRoom.com.

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