What went wrong for Manchester United in the loss to Newcastle?

After suffering a 1-0 defeat away at Newcastle United, Manchester United seem to be embroiled in a bigger crisis ever than before. The club are currently 12th in the Premier League table just two points above the relegation zone.

Injury woes

The list of injured players in the club has gone up to eight as United struggled to create an impact against the Magpies. 

Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial, Luke Shaw, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Phil Jones, Eric Bailly and Jesse Lingard were all absent in the match against the Toon.

Having started the season brimming full of confidence with a thumping 4-0 victory over Chelsea in their opening fixture, the Red Devils are now a shadow of their former self. With just two Premier League victories, they will have to eliminate the uncertainty and the criticism that has been surrounding them

The main concern

Losing several star names due to injury has plagued the club and this has made the manager Ole Gunnar Solksjaer to change the suited roles of the players.

Juan Mata usually plays on the right but he was deployed as central attacking midfielder with Daniel James on the left. Andreas Pereira who is touted to be a natural 'No.10' was played on the right and the Brazilian faced a tough time in the wide area.

Marcus Rashford absolutely looked worn out and exhausted as he struggled to create a difference as a central striker. Already reported to be a flop signing for the club, Fred's performance was also poor in the midfield.

Only Ashley young was drafted into his favored left-back role. 

England U-21 International Axel Tuanzebe was the only spark in the United lineup. He played as a centre-back paired with Harry Maguire in the start and moved to right-back when Marcos Rojo replaced Diogo Dalot. The young English defender gave a decent performance which made him the only standout performer for the club. 

The highly defensive strategy of Magpies' Manager Steve Bruce totally made it impossible for the Red Devils to create a moment of magic

Is Ole going to be sacked?

According to reports from Manchester, the position of the Norwegian coach is currently stable in spite of the poor results. He still has the support of the Glazers as he is fully focused on rebuilding the club he once played for.

Once the international break is over, Solksjaer will face an uphill task as he and his team are going to face eternal rivals, Liverpool, at Old Trafford on October 20. The current situation at the club is deemed unacceptable and United will have to be back to winning ways to avoid more problems.

Cover Image credits: Getty