United View: A sad end to 2023 for Manchester United

Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest was another instance of Manchester United failing to build upon an important win.

It was the Red's fifth defeat in December, ending 2023 in disappointment.

At the start of the year, United went on an impressive run, winning 14 out of 20 games, including their league cup triumph over Newcastle. And to many, it was seen as the beginning of a new dawn at Old Trafford. Fast forward to 2024 and Erik ten Hag’s side is in a worrying decline.

The 3-2 win over Aston Villa on Boxing Day was supposed to be the moment United’s season kicked on, but just like the wins over Brentford and Chelsea, it was another false start. Forest deserved their win, scoring two cutback goals, something that has become an unwanted common occurrence this season.

Before the game Morgan Gibbs White had his side in a huddle, he could be heard saying “Look at their faces, they don’t want to be here.” It goes to show how other teams view Manchester United right now, the Reds are disjointed, lacking confidence and look like a team of individuals.

There has been little to get excited about this season, especially up front, with United bolstering one of the worst attacking returns in the league. Marcus Rashford was on the scoresheet against Forest for only his third league goal this season and just the seventh goal amongst United’s attackers in the Premier League.

Rasmus Hojlund’s illness resulted in a reshuffle to the front three that was so impressive against Villa, with Antony being brought back into the fold. The Brazillian was once again ineffective, ending his 2023 with just three goals in all competitions.

He was replaced by Amad Diallo who looked more positive in his brief cameo. The Ivorian has been absent all season with a knee injury he sustained in a pre-season match against Arsenal and will not be attending the African Cup of Nations with his respected country.

The manager insists that performances will improve once his squad is back at full strength, with Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro and Mason Mount all set to return in January. That might be true, but given United’s poor league record, it might be too late to rescue a finish in the Champions League places.

Ten Hag will need to start producing better results if he is to convince Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford that he is the right man for the job. This comes following the announcement of INEOS’s 25% stake in Manchester United, which will see them overtake sporting control at Old Trafford.

The Dutchman’s stocks as United manager have taken a fall amongst fans in recent weeks and his post-match comments have been a contributing factor. Claiming United have often controlled games when it’s been quite clear performances have not been good enough.

Sacking Ten Hag would not solve any of United’s issues this season, given the lack of options currently available and having to work under an incompetent sporting department thus far. That being said, he needs to show better squad rotation and in-game management at the very least if he is to continue under INEOS.

Hopefully, January will be a chance for the team to recover both physically and mentally. United will play a maximum of three games in the opening month of 2024 should they beat Wigan in the third round of the FA Cup on Monday.

The FA Cup is United’s last hope at silverware this season after their elimination from the Champions League and Carabao Cup. The Reds made it to the final last season before missing out to Manchester City and with only the league left to focus on, United ought to try and salvage something from a bitter season.