Barnsley Win Highlights Man Utd’s Weak Spot

Old Trafford is still facing a significant issue in their defense.

Manchester United kicked off their Carabao Cup campaign this year with a dominant victory over Barnsley. While there were many positives surrounding this win, it also highlighted a problem that Erik ten Hag’s team is currently facing.

Before the match, Ten Hag was expected to use an Academy player at left-back, and that was indeed the Dutch manager’s decision. However, while many anticipated Harry Amass would make his official debut for the club, Ten Hag instead started Toby Collyer, a midfielder, in the left-back role.

Naturally, this was only a temporary solution, and Collyer’s underwhelming performance demonstrated to Ten Hag that he cannot rely on the player for the left-back position. Overall, Collyer’s usage not only serves as a reminder that Amass still has a lot to work on, but it also underscores Man Utd’s issue on the left flank.

Collyer appeared uncomfortable playing out of position.
Up until the Barnsley game, Diogo Dalot has been playing as a left-back since the start of the season. And while both he and Noussair Mazraoui can play in this position, their natural role is on the right flank. Therefore, it’s fair to say that until Luke Shaw returns, Man Utd will lack a truly outstanding option at left-back.

Of course, there’s still the case of Tyrell Malacia, who is expected to return soon after a long-term injury. However, after being out for over a year, there will be questions about Malacia’s ability to perform at the highest level. Even before that, he was considered “potential” rather than an exceptional left-back.

As for Shaw, he suffered four different injuries last season, and during preseason, he picked up another injury in training. To date, according to Manchester World, this marks Shaw’s 24th injury since joining Man Utd. Clearly, even with Shaw, Man Utd’s left flank remains a concern.

At 29, Shaw is in the prime of his career, and when fully fit, he is still regarded as one of the best left-backs in the world. However, Shaw is highly injury-prone, and once he returns, concerns will quickly arise about him facing further fitness issues and being sidelined again.

It’s worth remembering that when Shaw returned in the win against Newport at the end of January, less than a month later, he was injured again in the match against Luton Town and hasn’t played for Man Utd since. Overall, it’s hard to feel overly optimistic about Shaw’s return, and it’s clear that Man Utd’s left flank is still unstable.