Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag insists injuries are the issue after a poor defeat at Nottingham Forest.
Marcus Rashford appeared to have secured a point for the visitors when canceling out Nicolas Dominguez’s opener for Forest. But Morgan Gibbs-White struck a late winner after a clever cut back from former United winger Anthony Elanga.
Ten Hag later said: “It’s clear the result is very disappointing. We should have invested more in these moments. We created less before half-time. We didn’t do [enough]. The second half was better.
“We are losing the game by a goal and you saw the fight in the team. We had our chances, the football in the second half was better. They kept believing and going until the end but of course when the result is this, we are disappointed.
“The players are not happy with this but we have to do better. We haven’t played with the same team in a row. We had to change again so every time we have to swap our team. That doesn’t help or support the routines of the team and it explains why you are so inconsistent.
“We had nine different partnerships in the back. It doesn’t matter as well, the fans don’t want to hear this, they want to see us winning and that is what we have to serve them.”
Asked for the main issue, Ten Hag said: “The injuries. Also some issues but mainly the injuries hold us back in the process. In January we have a lot of players returning so then our levels can be higher.
“Definitely [Dave Brailsford] will see we have our problems. You want to build on the last result but we have to change our striker.
“It will happen. No doubt about that. We will work together to set high targets of course for achievements and structures, we will talk about that.”
