admin Man Utd have struggled in their first two games of the season and pressure is building to dip into the transfer market.
A bitter defeat on the second weekend of the season, a tip for the midfielder. Last August it was Manchester United. United didn’t need Tottenham’s match-winner Pape Sarra and man of the match Yves Bissouma to brutally crush them to know their side were lightweight.
Two goalkeepers have been called up to Spurs’ bench as Erik ten Hag sidelined Donny van de Beek and Brandon Williams while developing exit strategies. Hannibal Mejbri, who was in the U21 selection on Friday night, was ruled out. “He’s a left-back, look at the position, look at the run!” Tottenham tweeted on Monday.
The news was accompanied by a clip of Destiny Udogie dodging Mason Mount and Casemiro, chasing Antony, chasing after Bruno Fernandes and the revenant Alejandro Garnacho. Mejbri, a combative character, would at least try to stop Udogi as he struggled through United’s last six results. From Mejbri to Manchester, broadcasters focused on the stern Scottie McTominay, who was on the bench on Saturday.
Gary Neville, who is more passionate than impartial on comment sites, questioned why the Scot hadn’t turned up.
“Does he go back to McTominay?” Neville asked rhetorically. Ten Hag has made five substitutions and not used him. It’s almost as if he is managing him out of the club.”
McTominay is a bustling midfielder but United were not crying out for the Scot. Even introducing Anthony Martial was more logical.
Martial had not played in 12 weeks and he is not a super-sub striker to instil dread. “They are bringing on Martial,” Roy Keane despaired. “You might as well bring on Frank Stapleton and Norman Whiteside.” Martial’s warm-up was as glacial as Stapleton or Whiteside’s workouts. The former is 58 and the latter 67.
But back to the midfield. On this date last year, Casemiro was smuggled into Old Trafford before holding the red shirt aloft and receiving a greeting from Keane. Committing £70million on a 30-year-old Premier League novice on a salary of £300,000-a-week was dubious. After a slow start, Casemiro was so vital United would not be back in the Champions League without him.
Now United are following a similarly suspect path. Ryan Gravenberch ticks all of the boxes; only the wrong ones: he is Dutch, he has played in the Eredivisie, he played for Ajax and under Erik ten Hag.
More relevantly, Gravenberch has started six times for Bayern Munich in a little over a year. He has fallen out of the Netherlands squad and was linked with a departure as early as January.
The 21-year-old is not an enforcer, either. He operates similarly to Kobbie Mainoo, who Ten Hag namechecked unprompted on Friday in response to questions on United’s muddled midfield. Mainoo is three years Gravenberch’s junior.
Casemiro is the exception to the norm, the only permanent Ten Hag recruit without any Dutch affinity. Rasmus Hojlund’s representative is the Dutchman Kees Vos, also Ten Hag’s agent.
The strategy is anything but foolproof. Lisandro Martinez and Andre Onana were promoted but Christian Eriksen has not been as influential since returning from injury in April and being demoted to player. Tyrell Malacia comes off the bench, Antony comes back, Mason Mount is already under the basket and Hojlund is unavailable.
With Casemiro there are three direct successes out of eight. Ten Hag could use an energetic midfielder to bring Bissouma and Sarr down in the second half if he were to hand Mejbri a train ticket to Euston.Mejbri competed for U21#039; A 2-1 defeat by Leeds at Old Trafford on Friday night and while playing time was an advantage it would have been better for the first team.
Ten Hag is coy about any more possible incomings as United are “covered”. With Van de Beek an irrelevance, Mejbri has to be recognised as part of the core squad, which contradicts his absence in north London.
Mejbri can be easily riled and he was once dismissed in a reserve match at Spurs for protesting against the persistent fouls he suffered. The most memorable of his three appearances for United was as a human wrecking ball in the 4-0 thrashing by Liverpool at Anfield 16 months ago.
He would at least offer Ten Hag the ebullience that United largely lacked from their five substitutes at the weekend. Mejbri started as a 10 against Leeds before withdrawing to central midfield.
Ten Hag wants there to be a thread from the first team to the junior team at United so youngsters are adequately prepared should they ever be called upon. Mejbri has taken enough kicks in his four years for the youth and reserve teams but might now be kicking his heels.
