Erik ten Hag has established strict rule to prevent injuries which one Man Utd player has already broken

Erik ten Hag established a strict rule in training to prevent injuries at Manchester United.

The Old Trafford club have had a spate of players on the treatment table this season, with nine having missed their hard-fought victory over Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday night.

Burno Fernandes' volley helped the club to a much-needed three points, with the club having lost their previous three encounters.

That evening saw Raphael Varane and Sofyan Amrabat return to action at Turf Moor, with both players coming on as substitutes in the closing stages.

Nevertheless, there were still 11 players absent - nine for fitness reasons - with Lisandro Martinez ruled out before the game with an unspecified problem.

While Harry Maguire and Mason Mount appear set for a return to action this week, in either of the club’s games with Crystal Palace, Ten Hag’s options have been seriously depleted throughout the campaign.

That is despite a rule the Dutchman has put in place, designed to prevent injuries.

As per a Mirror report, tackles on established first-team stars are forbidden in training, as youngster Dan Gore discovered last November.

The academy graduate, who may feature in United’s Carabao Cup game against Palace on Tuesday, was called up to first-team training last season while several players were away at the World Cup.

Things, however, did not go particularly smoothly. The 18-year-old allegedly clattered Anthony Martial with a crunching challenge despite tackles on established first-teamers having been forbidden.

Tempers then boiled over with the French star lashing out at the England under-18 international.

The pair were ultimately separated from one another, with the Frenchman later apologising for his outburst.

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Topics: Football, Manchester United, Erik Ten Hag, Premier League

Chris Byfield

Sport journalist with experience writing on football, rugby, boxing and the Olympics. I'm also a Crystal Palace fan. Please don't hold this against me.