Even wins reveal the scale of the United rebuild job

Premier League: Man Utd 2 Everton 0

THE talk all weekend was about the rebuilding of Old Trafford and the bright vision for the “Wembley of the North” that will take the place of the crumbling, tired old cathedral that Manchester United currently call home.

The 90 minutes that followed on Saturday lunchtime was a reminder of how the rebuild job on the pitch is every bit as daunting for whoever takes over from Erik ten Hag as United manager.

It is a safe bet that whenever their new home is ready to be moved into, the Dutchman will no longer be in charge of the club. Indeed, the smart money, increasingly, has been pointing to the summer as an obvious point at which new minority owner Jim Ratcliffe may well decide to bring in his own man to lead his vision of United’s future.

And, despite the manager's increasingly frantic claims that injuries are the only thing that stand between his team and elite success, even victories now serve only to underline United’s shortcomings.

Put simply, United were outplayed for long sections of this win, against an Everton team that may yet end this season in relegation. The shot count was 23-15 in favour of Sean Dyche’s men and, while ten Hag correctly pointed out that raw data can be misleading, it did not feel that way as Everton cut through United’s midfield and exposed gaps in their defence with alarming ease.

By game’s end, United had conceded 198 shots in their last 10 league and cup games, an astonishing statistic that begs the question how long ten Hag can expect to concede 20 shots per game and still maintain acceptable results.

In his defence, those 10 games have brought just two defeats, and seven wins, but ten Hag’s consistent crutch of blaming injuries for United’s sub-par