Manchester United’s Champions League journey was left hanging by a thread after a dramatic defeat to Danish league leaders, Copenhagen, last night.

In a game wrapped in controversy, United eventually succumbed to a 4-3 defeat at the Parkden Stadium.

As reported by The Daily Mail, an injury to Jonny Evans also added to Erik ten Hag’s headaches as his defensive injury crisis worsens once more.

Raphael Varane’s return from injury is a timely one with the Frenchman replacing Evans and now looking set for a run in the first team.

United haven’t been able to name a settled back four at any point this season, no doubt playing a huge role in their worrying form.

Evans limped off in the 16th minute of last night’s game with a suspected hamstring injury and faces a period on the sidelines.

Playing in his first Champions League game in a decade, the centre-back pulled up early on after starting his fourth game in six.

Perhaps more worrying for Ten Hag is the amount of hamstring injuries United are suffering this season.

Casemiro has been ruled out until the New Year after pulling up in Carabao Cup defeat to Newcastle last week and Aaron Wan-Bissaka has just returned to the team from a hamstring injury picked up in the early weeks of the season.

With recurring injuries, there may be a tweak in training methods that could lower the risk of the suffering any more, with United’s squad spread thin.

United’s defeat last night has left them bottom of Group A and needing maximum points in their final two fixtures to stand any chance to qualify for the knockout phase.

However, the two games are made up of a trip to Turkey to face Galatasaray before ending the group against tournament favourites, Bayern Munich.

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Numerous eyebrows were raised when it was announced that former defender, Jonny Evans, was returning to Manchester United to bolster the defensive department.

The Northern Irishman was a free agent after leaving Leicester City in the summer of 2023. The defender had an injury-ravaged 2022-2023 campaign and he disclosed in a recent interview with The Mirror that he was seriously contemplating retirement before he received the call from Erik ten Hag.

Many fans were astounded when they heard the news that the defender was training with the squad before pre-season to fill out the numbers for Ten Hag’s pre-season squad. The Northern Ireland international originally trained with the under-21s in their tour of America this summer and played in the defeat to Wrexham

Most fans assumed that this was some mutually beneficial agreement between the club and the player. Evans could train at a high level and get himself up to full fitness to secure a contract in the Championship and Manchester United got defensive cover and an experienced voice to help with the young players.

The arrangement was going well as the Dutch coach was full of praise for the defender and told the club’s official website that Evans is “a big personality, and I think he has big authority as well. He will help the young players especially.” It also mustn’t be forgotten that Evans enjoyed a trophy-laden time at the club between 2006-2015, playing 198 times and scoring 7 goals. He boasts a trophy cabinet many of the current United squad would kill for. Nonetheless, most assumed the short term deal would be over before the Premier League kick-off.

However, as the summer wore on, there was no defensive recruitment, Harry Maguire didn’t leave and Jonny Evans kept training at the club. The Red Devils were linked to numerous defenders such as Benjamin Pavard and Jean-Clair Todibo, however no move materialised. It always seemed such a move hinged on the sale of Maguire, which obviously never transpired.

So, the Northern Ireland international was the only centre-back recruit of the summer window. Many fans were critical and claimed it was yet another example of the Glazer family’s penny-pinching and lack of desire to back the manager in the market. Although, the defender was mainly brought in to add experience and cover. The defender himself must be taken aback by the amount of gametime he has received since rejoining the club where it all began.

The team from Old Trafford has faced a defensive crisis with all defenders in the squad missing crucial matches at some point this season due to injury or illness. Lisandro Martinez has been a long term absentee and Raphael Varane has had on and off knocks and fitness issues. Due to the scarcely believable simultaneous injuries to left-backs Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia and Sergio Reguilon, centre-back, Victor Lindelof, has been asked to deputise as a full-back.

Consequently, Evans and Maguire have been tasked to hold the defence together. This has had mixed results to say the least but also, it has probably gone better than expected. If you had told Man United fans at the start of the season that the Englishman and the Northern Irish man would be playing together regularly, it would have struck fear into their hearts. However, most would say whilst the arrangement is not perfect, it is far from the club’s most pressing issue.

Understandably for a player who is 35 years-old and in the twilight of his career, Evans suffered when asked to play against Arsenal and Manchester City. The defender on a couple of instances looked well-off the pace. Arguably Declan Rice’s crucial second goal at the Emirates Stadium was down to Evans’ slow reactions. However, to the defender’s credit, he has played quite well and been solid when asked to deal with mid-table and lower league attackers.

The Northern Irish international was outstanding against Burnley and not only in a defensive role. The Ulsterman scored a goal that was agonisingly ruled out for interference by Rasmus Houjlund and produced a Pirlo-esque wonder pass for Bruno Fernandes to volley in.

The performance was so commanding that Sky Sports pundit, and former teammate of Evans, Gary Neville, commented “I thought this would finish him” – that he felt the Burnley game would be a career ending game for the defender, where he would be brutally exposed at Premier League level. The former captain admitted his error and recognised the quality of the performance from the man from Belfast.

Nobody would sensibly argue that Evans is any more than defensive cover and if he hadn’t been a former player, he probably wouldn’t have been handed the opportunity to play at this level. However, the defender has been constantly praised throughout his career for his professionalism and leadership skills. Therefore, credit where credit is due that at the ripe old age of 35 instead of retiring, Jonny Evans remains an important player for not only United but also his country.

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Heading into the game, pressure was mounting on Erik ten Hag and his players to get back to winning ways after a number of poor results.

Ten Hag started Andre Onana in goal, with a defensive four of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Harry Maguire, Jonny Evans and Diogo Dalot ahead of the Cameroonian.

In midfield, Christian Eriksen started as United’s deepest-lying man with Bruno Fernandes and Scott McTominay alongside him in the middle of the park.

Rasmus Hojlund led the line with Antony and Alejandro Garnacho on either side. Here are three things we learned from Manchester United’s 1 – 0 win against Fulham.

Raphael Varane’s peculiar exclusion

In yet another game, Varane was left out.

Amidst suggestions of rifts in the background and dressing room unrest, it was reported that Varane is one of the players who may be unhappy with Ten Hag.

It was relayed that the Frenchman was not amused by the manager’s decision to leave him out of the game against Manchester City in favour of Evans and Maguire due to “tactical reasons.”

Varane did not feature vs. Newcastle in the Carabao Cup. United claimed that he was ill and that was the sole reason for his absence.

Conflicting reports relayed that the World Cup winner did not train and was not satisfied with his ongoing situation with respect to lack of game time despite being fit.

It was therefore surprising when the team sheet came out for the Fulham game and Varane was on the bench again.

It’s puzzling that Ten Hag gave the nod to Maguire and Evans once more despite Varane’s presence.

On more than one occasion across the 90 minutes, Maguire had to come off for treatment but even then, Ten Hag did not opt for Varane.

Not to say that Maguire and Evans have done anything particularly wrong when they’ve started together but few will disagree that Varane offers much more and is easily the better defender when in top shape and injury-free.

Varane only came on int the dying embers of the game for Garnacho, to ensure United got over the line.

United struggling to create enough clear-cut goalscoring opportunities

A noticeable theme of the game was just how much the Red Devils struggled to fashion enough goalscoring chances.

With the exception of McTominay’s disallowed goal in the opening 45 minutes, United barely created anything for the rest of the half – something that extended into the second period.

Most of United’s chances came about through trying long-distance efforts that frankly, didn’t trouble Bernd Leno who was mostly comfortable throughout the game.

Ten Hag’s men had a lot of possession but it’s disappointing they could not do much with the ball up until Fernandes grabbed the late winner.

United had Eriksen and Fernandes on the pitch, arguably two of the Premier League’s most creative midfielders but even then, chances were far between each other.

As has usually been the case, Hojlund cut a very frustrated and lonely figure up front. The Dane did not have much to pounce on.

He was visibly angry when substituted.

During the game, the away fans could be heard chanting “attack attack attack” in an apparent effort to get the players to speed things up.

United’s forwards have struggled to put the ball into the back of the net this term and while this has been down to poor finishing, another primary reason is that they’ve not been presented with enough opportunities to score.

This is something Ten Hag will undoubtedly be keen to sort out if he is to be successful in retaining his job as manager of the 20-time English champions.

Antony extremely poor again

Antony was easily United’s poorest performer against Fulham.

The Brazilian contributed next to nothing when he was on and it was hardly a shock that he was the first to be taken just minutes after the hour mark.

It has usually been said that Ten Hag’s continued selection of Antony and his favouritism for the player is one of the players’ major gripes with the Dutchman.

Consistently this season, Antony has failed to justify his inclusion in the starting XI and already, he appears to be another player United have wasted big money on.

Even Facundo Pellistri who only played a few minutes managed to do more than Antony did. The Uruguayan registered an assist for Fernandes’ goal.

It’s telling that when the 23-year-old came off, United fans cheered in response to the change made by Ten Hag.

There's a Brazilian winger on the pitch United could/should have signed: Willian in 2018.
United fans cheered as Antony was substituted. He has been abysmal again. #mufc

— Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) November 4, 2023

If United are to be a successful team going forward, they can no longer rely on Antony – clearly a very limited and one-dimensional player not suited to playing at this level.

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City beat United by three goals to nil via an Erling Haaland brace and a goal from Phil Foden.

Rasmus Hojlund was judged to have brought down Rodri inside his own box even though replays suggested the Dane had the slightest of touches on the City midfielder.

Haaland made no mistake from the penalty spot to give his side the lead.

United went into the break only a goal down but collapsed in the second half, giving Pep Guardiola’s men the chance to stamp their authority onto the game and run out victors.

Evans spoke to MUTV (via The Manchester Evening News) after the match and gave his verdict on the result and the team’s performance.

The veteran defender said, “We’re obviously disappointed with the result and we put a lot into it in the second half to try to get back into it. At 2-0, we had a chance with Rashy to do that, but we’re disappointed we didn’t create too much in the second half. It’s disappointing [the penalty decision].”

“You see it a lot in the box and I don’t think Rasmus had a hold of his shirt. He had one arm on him, which you see defenders do a lot. For him to be sent to the VAR and put in a position where he’s been told he’s made a clear and obvious error, the referee is in a difficult position then and he almost has to give it.”

“I was a bit baffled with that one and I think everyone was at half-time.”

Evans explained that City’s second goal probably “killed” him and his teammates, effectively rendering an unprecedented comeback impossible.

The 35-year-old pointed out that if Marcus Rashford had been fortunate enough to bury his chance, maybe things would have turned out much differently for United.

Evans added, “I think once they started passing the ball, we got disjointed in terms of our pressing and we got a bit too emotional. It’s a derby, it’s understandable, you’re chasing the game and want to get back into it, but we became a bit unorganised.”

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Mainoo was United’s breakout star of pre-season but received a blow when he picked up an injury during a friendly game vs. Real Madrid.

He returned to training during the October international break. During his presser before the Sheffield United match, Ten Hag told reporters that the Englishman was not fit enough to feature at Bramall Lane, although he was nearing a return to action.

Manchester Evening News have provided an update on Mainoo and indicated that he could be available for selection to face FC Copenhagen.

“Mainoo’s return to the United line-up is on the horizon after the young midfielder featured in training. There had been hope he would feature against the Blades but he was not a member of the squad,” the outlet says.

Another player expected to be included in the starting XI is Sergio Reguilon.

Unlike Mainoo, the Spaniard was a surprise exclusion from the matchday squad that travelled to face Paul Heckingbottom’s men on Saturday.

MEN states on Reguilon, “The issue with the on-loan Tottenham Hotspur defender is not thought to be serious and he should be making a return to the line-up shortly after a good start at Old Trafford.”

Against the Blades, Jonny Evans formed a solid centre-back partnership with Harry Maguire in the absence of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane who was on the bench, seemingly not yet fully fit after a brief period on the sidelines.

There were concerns when Evans – who has started well at United during his second spell – went down and had to be replaced by Varane.

However, it’s understood that he was only substituted as a precaution and it was nothing serious.

The North Ireland international should be good to play in the Champions League this week as United look to get out of their group and proceed to the next round of the competition.

Ten Hag will not be able to count on the services of Casemiro who is still in Brazil recovering from a physical setback sustained during the international break.

In any case, the 31-year-old was suspended after being red-carded against Galatasaray.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw remain long-term absentees.

Wan-Bissaka who suffered a hamstring injury could return in November, with Shaw a little bit further away from making a comeback.

As per MEN, there is a real possibility that Martinez has played his last game of the year, with January 2024 looking like a realistic return period for the World Cup winner.

With respect to Amad Diallo, “The young winger has been posting updates on his social media channels documenting his progress. He has been training which suggests a return may not be far off but a time frame has not been revealed yet.”

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Erik ten Hag would have undoubtedly been hoping that his side’s fightback to recover from Brentford’s opening goal before going on to clinch all three points would be the catalyst to finally get United’s season on track.

The Dutchman started Andre Onana in goal, with a defensive four of Diogo Dalot, Harry Maguire, Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelof ahead of the Cameroonian.

Ten Hag put his trust in a midfield trio consisting of Sofyan Amrabat, Scott McTominay and Bruno Fernandes.

Rasmus Hojlund started up front with Antony and Marcus Rashford on either wing of the attacking line.

Here are three things we learned from Manchester United’s 2-1 win against Sheffield United.

Uninspiring first-half performance

Ten Hag’s men were below par during the opening 45 minutes.

They hardly fashioned any clear-cut goalscoring opportunities or created good chances for Hojlund to attack. The Danish striker cut a very lonely figure up front for large parts of the first period.

Even more disappointing was United’s failure to control the game, which allowed Sheffield United to go about their business comfortably without much fuss.

At times, it looked like the players were only launching hopeful balls to the forward men and expecting them to make something out of nothing.

The first half was mostly chaotic and lacked any semblance of order that United could capitalize on.

Sheffield United had the chance to take an early lead just three minutes in but Onana came up with a huge save to prevent his side from conceding.

The Red Devils took the lead against the run of play via McTominay, who somehow managed to guide the ball into the back of the net from a densely populated box.

However, as is the norm with United, they surrendered their one-goal advantage just six minutes after through Oli McBurnie, who converted his penalty with ease after McTominay turned from hero to villain with a hand ball in the area.

So far this season, United have been unconvincing and have produced extremely poor displays that have in turn hindered the club from getting good results. There is a lot of work to be done on the training ground.

It’s concerning that at this stage of his tenure at Old Trafford, there is still no clarity on what Ten Hag’s style of play consists of. Everything just seems disjointed and unsure.

Poor midfield dynamics

So far this term, there has been plenty of debate about how United’s midfield should be structured.

During United’s opening games of the season, the Fernandes, Casemiro and Mason Mount partnership came under intense criticism for their inability to gel and make an impact.

Casemiro’s absence due to injury made it almost necessary to start Amrabat. McTominay’s heroics against Burnley were seemingly enough, at least in Ten Hag’s eyes, to hand the Scotland international a start vs. Sheffield United.

As a three, Amrabat, McTominay and Fernandes were poor.

Amrabat did not show the grit that characterises his game. The Moroccan failed to stamp his authority in the middle of the park. He came close to scoring in the second half when his powerful shot hit the bar but apart from that, he didn’t do much.

Apart from the goal and conceding the penalty, McTominay did nothing else of note. He was mostly missing from action and it’s no surprise the 26-year-old was among the first to be taken off by Ten Hag.

Fernandes’ main faults lay in his inability to keep the ball. He was wasteful in possession, either by needlessly attempting a Hollywood pass or being unaware of an incoming rival player looking to snatch the ball from him.

Overall, United’s midfielders were not up to the required standards and it’s hardly puzzling just how much better the team looked after Christian Eriksen’s introduction.

Initially, there was no control whatsoever, no sufficient build-up and no recognizable patterns of play. It’s on Ten Hag and his coaching staff to quickly find a solution lest the team continues to suffer and be outdone by opponents.

Further injury concerns in the defensive department

United’s woes with respect to injuries suffered by defenders are set to be compounded after Evans was taken off against Sheffield United.

Evans delved into a tackle but came out injured from it.

He was immediately replaced by Raphael Varane, who himself is likely not fully fit seeing as he started on the bench rather than being named in the starting XI.

Should Evans be sidelined for a prolonged period, he will join the likes of Luke Shaw, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Tyrell Malacia and Lisandro Martinez on the treatment table.

There are also doubts about Sergio Reguilon’s fitness, given that the Spaniard was not even in the matchday squad.

Ten Hag is down to the bare bones with regard to defenders and cannot afford to lose any more members of the backline. Hopefully, it’s nothing serious and Evans’ substitution was only a precaution.

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Jonny Evans returned to Manchester United this summer with the centre-back signing a year-long contract at Old Trafford.

The surprise deal came eight years after Evans left United for West Bromwich Albion back in 2015.

The Northern Ireland international went on to excel even after leaving the club, both for club and country.

Evans has been a mainstay at the heart of the Northern Ireland defence for the best part of two decades and was honoured for reaching 100 caps in front of home support in Belfast on Saturday.

As reported by manutd.com, Jonny actually made his 104th appearance for his country in a much-needed win against minnows San Marino at the weekend.

Evans completed just over an hour on his special night, coming off to rapturous applause from the home support with his country two goals to the good.

The centre-back’s 100th game actually came back in June in a 0-1 defeat to Denmark but Saturday was Northern Ireland’s first home game since reaching the milestone.

At 35, the defender has gained a wealth of experience down the years and has looked solid in his appearances for United this season.

Having signed as cover for the first team squad, Evans has found himself being called upon by Erik ten Hag more than he may have bargained for this early into the new campaign.

Evans has made four appearance for the club this season, including two starts in the Premier League.

He produced a man-of-the-match display on his first start since his return, which saw the defender provide an excellent assist for Bruno Fernandes‘ match-winning volley against Burnley.

Jonny’s outstanding achievement last night is testament to a fine career at the top level which can hopefully end in further glory with United.

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It was far from vintage United as they struggled to create too many clear-cut chances during the course of the game while conceding yet another sloppy goal after Andre Onana’s umpteen howler.

Manager Erik ten Hag made a few bold changes in the second half and they played a huge part as the hosts returned to winning ways at just the right juncture of the season.

United’s defensive reshuffle

The Dutchman was expected to make more changes to the starting line-up after the debacle against Galatasaray in midweek but he did not.

Instead, he was forced into yet another defensive reshuffle following another injury to Raphael Varane as Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans came into the backline.

The 35-year-old’s arrival was quite a surprise to United fans and most felt he would not play too many important games at this stage of his career.

His second debut was nothing to write home about after two errors led to Arsenal winning against the 20-time English league champions.

There was plenty of criticism of the Northern Irish footballer at the time and it seemed like yet another failed signing by the club.

But the academy graduate has since gone on to repay his manager’s faith. Starting with a magnificent display against Burnley where he grabbed an assist and now Brentford.

Evans, a rock at the back

Evans was always alert to the danger, making three clearances and one crucial interception. He was a rock at the back as he won six duels during the course of the game.

The centre-back’s usage of the ball has always been his strong suit and he completed 45 of 51 passes including one key pass to end the game with a pass completion rate of 88 percent (all stats via Sofascore).

He showed he still has the pace to deal with opposition attackers and his reading of the game remains top-notch and that is exactly why Ten Hag felt the need to give him a contract at the club.

Evans certainly has a major role to play this season and has the trust of the manager and is winning over the fans as well. Not many would have envisaged this happening at the start of the campaign.

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A goal from Jadon Sancho clinched all three points for United.

Evans, who recently chalked up 200 appearances for United in a brilliant personal performance against Burnley at Turf Moor, told club media that Ten Hag made a move for him after that match.

He said, “I think back to when we played last season actually. We played quite early on in the season, United won 1-0 at Leicester, and I think I had a good game that night. He gave me a little bit of a jokey comment of ‘do you fancy coming back?’ So I was like ‘yeah, yeah, of course, no problem’. And it’s funny how things work out.”

“I just don’t think either of us thought that would’ve ever have been a possibility. But I suppose maybe he thought, with my experience, and my experience of the club before, and the relationship I had with everyone here, it wouldn’t be a problem for me at this stage of my career, coming in and settling in.”

Evans stated, “I’m feeling part of it and being able to provide something. You know, I’m quite aware of my role and that is to provide cover for the other centre-backs and support the team in a different way to maybe what I’ve been used to, but I’ve just got to be ready when I can to basically try to help the team and help this club to push on.”

He told United Review that he is “having a great time” at Old Trafford during his second stint at the club.

Evans explained that what started out as a “casual role” whereby United were helping him to remain fit while searching for a new club, soon turned into something more that eventually led to his awarding of a one-year deal.

The Northern Ireland international admitted that so far this season, he has already played more games than he expected to. This has largely been due to the multiple injuries most of his colleagues in the defensive department have suffered.

On clocking 200 appearances, Evans played down the achievement and indicated that at the moment, he is solely focused on representing the Red Devils whenever called upon to play.

The 35-year-old spoke about the affection supporters have shown him since he returned.

Evans remarked, “I can [feel it]. The fans have always been amazing with me and that’s I think, when you’re an Academy player, you always get that.”

The centre-back noted that United fans share a special bond with the players who have come through the ranks.

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The signing that surprised fans was the one-year contract that was given to Jonny Evans after he impressed Erik ten Hag during training and pre-season.

With four centre-backs already at the club, it was expected that the former United academy graduate would not be getting too many chances but was rather brought in as an emergency cover.

Evans has enjoyed a fine start to his second innings at United

However, the 35-year-old has ended up featuring in three games already this season amid the injury crisis at the club, even going on to start a game.

That looked unlikely after his second debut at the club where he was partly responsible for the two goals that Arsenal scored in injury time to win the game.

However, the Northern Ireland international has since gone on to impress the manager with his effortless display against Burnley in the Premier League, a game where he grabbed an assist and even got on the score-sheet, only for the goal to be chalked off by VAR.

United kept a clean sheet and he emerged as a substitute against Crystal Palace, helping United keep another clean sheet, earning plaudits from fans and pundits alike who did not see such commanding performances coming from him.

When posed a question as to whether he thought any of this was possible after enduring an injury-hit season with Leicester City last time around during which the Foxes ended up getting relegated, Evans answered that he thought his career was winding down and that he would now have to battle to get a contract from the lower divisions.

“No, definitely not,” Evans was quoted as saying by 90min. “It’s not a case of winding down. I think sort of people’s careers trajectories kind of end up that way and it’s very difficult for a club when you’re 35 years old to sort of take a chance on you.

“I had a lot of injury problems last year as well, so for the club to do that and sort of see the value in me I’m very grateful to be given the opportunity.”

Evans grateful to ETH and United for giving him the opportunity

“For a 35-year-old, I suppose to come back in – they wanted me to come back in and provide cover – not many people get to do that. I know it’s going be a big challenge but, you know, hopefully, it’s one that I can sort of take on.

“I feel like it’s one that was perfect for me at this stage of my career.”

Evans certainly has a lot left in the tank, as can be witnessed from his displays and apart from his on-field displays, he has plenty to contribute off the field as well.

He has won a lot at this club, has the experience and know-how to deal with immense pressure, and is a model professional to boot. Evans can be a great asset to have in the dressing room which has young superstars with impressionable minds.

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