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Topics: Manchester United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Premier League, Football, Erik Ten Hag
Joe Adams
Topics: Manchester United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Premier League, Football, Erik Ten Hag
Manchester United face Wolves up next in the Premier League in Erik ten Hag's bid to secure Champions League qualification.
The Red Devils remain on track to finish in the top four, although consecutive defeats to Brighton and West Ham have cast doubt over whether they can get over the line.
Liverpool have crept up to within one point of fourth-placed United, with Jurgen Klopp ready to pounce on any potential slip-up in the race for Europe.
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Ten Hag has insisted the club's lapse in form has nothing to do with tiredness. However, there is a growing concern among fans that united have lost momentum at the crucial moment.
While ESPN journalist Rob Dawson has suggested the sheer extent of games is taking its toll on the players.
With silverware already in his back pocket, and an FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City on the horizon, Ten Hag just needs to secure Champions League football for the season to be deemed a roaring success.
But the players' exhaustion could be kicking in at the inopportune time. Or at least that's the opinion behind the scenes.
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"There is concern behind the scenes that the workload -- which included a winter World Cup in Qatar -- has caught up with the players," claims Dawson.
"David de Gea, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford have all played more minutes across all competitions than any Liverpool player, while defender Lisandro Martinez has only played 57 minutes fewer than Virgil van Dijk," he added.
Rashford's second-half strike was enough to seal victory last time United played Wolves at Molineux, but the team's lack of goals lately will add to supporters' concern.
United have scored eight goals in their past 10 league encounters and conceded 13. Comparatively, they netted 21 goals in their previous 10, conceding only eight - a statistic which underlines the club's worrying downturn in form.