Manchester United’s dismal start to the season continued on Thursday, October 3, 2024, as they suffered a demoralizing 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League. The loss leaves the Red Devils with just seven points from six games, their joint-worst start in the Premier League era.
United’s woes were compounded by injuries to Kobbie Mainoo and Mason Mount, adding to the growing list of absentees. Captain Bruno Fernandes, who grew up in Porto and played for local rivals Boavista, knows better than most what to expect from their upcoming opponents in the Europa League.
The Portuguese midfielder warned that Porto, who lost their opening Europa League game 3-2 to Norway’s Bodo/Glimt, are a formidable side in Europe. “It’s a side that always does really well in Europe, we have to be aware of that,” Fernandes said.
United manager Erik ten Hag admitted that his team were far below the standards expected after the Tottenham defeat. “We have to show resilience because this is not good enough. We have to accept this and, from this point on, we have to do things better,” said Ten Hag.
The Dutchman pleaded for more time to turn the club’s fortunes around, but the pressure is mounting on him after a series of disappointing results. United have now won just one of their last nine games in Europe, a dismal run that includes last season’s disastrous Champions League display.
Ten Hag is waiting to discover the extent of injuries sustained by Mainoo and Mount. He will also be without Christian Eriksen, who is serving a three-match domestic ban after his red card in the Tottenham defeat.
United will be desperate to bounce back in the Europa League, but they face a tough test against Porto, who have a strong record in the competition. The Portuguese giants have won the Europa League twice, in 2003 and 2011, and were runners-up in 2014.
Ten Hag will need to find a way to turn United’s fortunes around quickly, or he could face the sack. The Red Devils have a busy schedule ahead of them, with games against Manchester City, Chelsea, and Arsenal coming up in the next few weeks.
