Man Utd stars 'feel Ten Hag overworked the team in pre-season'

Some Manchester United players reportedly blame their poor start to the campaign on Erik ten Hag overworking the squad in pre-season.

The disgruntled squad members, including some senior names, felt as jaded beginning this season as they did finishing the last.

United's pre-season was full-on, consisting of eight friendlies and a higher intensity of training.

However, The Guardian reports that while multiple players are dissatisfied, they have not escalated their concerns by raising them verbally with management.

Their league-high total of 16 injuries so far this season has pushed their squad depth to its limit.

Across a 25-day period in pre-season, the club squeezed in eight matches played in five different countries, with 16,000 air miles travelled.

Compare that with the likes of Manchester City, who played just three friendlies before their Community Shield and European Super Cup matches.

It was a gruelling summer for United and while commercial demands will have played an influential role in scheduling, it is questionable whether it has helped the team.

First they faced Leeds in Norway, before travelling to Edinburgh to take on Lyon.

They crammed in four fixtures in eight days in the United States, tackling Arsenal, Wrexham, Real Madrid, and Borussia Dortmund, losing three.

Then, in successive August days, they played against Lens at Old Trafford and Athletic Bilbao in Dublin, although different players were selected for those fixtures.

When United hit the first Premier League game, their injury list was manageable - Rasmus Hojlund and Tyrell Malacia were the only 'regulars' to be affected, while Tom Heaton, Kobbie Mainoo, and Amad Diallo were also confined to the sidelines.

Since then, however, a season demanding