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Erik ten Hag has met every challenge he has faced since taking over at Manchester United head-on, with conviction and imagination. He may have to resort to that again this Sunday.

United will be back in action after the international break and it won’t be easy to get back on track. The fixtures will come fast and plentiful with at least nine games in April already and a game against Chelsea to rearrange as well. But first on Sunday it will be a trip north to face Newcastle United.

Ten Hag’s side may have enjoyed a more comfortable afternoon than they imagined when the teams met at Wembley last month, but the Magpies are back in full force after a difficult period, winning their last two outings before the break and are looking for fourth place. currently in the hands of Tottenham.

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It would be a difficult game at best, but United will travel to Tyneside very exhausted. Raphael Varane missed the victory over Fulham by a blow, Alejandro Garnacho will still be out for some time and Anthony Martial’s return date is unknown.

That’s even before you get to the really troublesome midfield, which United could be down on. Donny van de Beek is out for the season, Christian Eriksen is making progress but his expected return date is still a month away and Casemiro is suspended for another three games.

But just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, it seems Marcel Sabitzer is also dealing with a problem. The Austrian missed games with Real Betis and Southampton earlier this month with an unspecified injury before scoring again against Fulham.

Sabitzer was in action for Austria during the international break, but Ralf Rangnick admitted he is suffering from knee pain that needs treatment. “In the end, it’s a matter of pain and pain tolerance for Marcel,” Rangnick said after Sabitzer’s brace against Azerbaijan last week. “Of course, we hope that Marcel will do well, especially after that first game in Linz. At the moment, I am optimistic that he can work.”

Hopefully it’s just a minor issue, but it certainly sounds worrisome. If United were to lose Sabitzer again before taking on Newcastle, then Ten Hag might need to get creative. The only central midfielders available would be Fred and Scott McTominay, a partnership that has often been clumsy and porous.

Fred has improved a lot this season and has put in some great performances in big games, but that was when he was playing alongside his international teammate who was on hand to cover their marauding runs. McTominay also likes to get on the field and the pair have rarely worked well as a tandem.

The prospect of them starting against the likes of Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes is all the more concerning given that McTominay hasn’t improved as much as some of his teammates under Ten Hag. The Dutchman doesn’t seem to trust him much given that he has only started one Premier League game since October.

In fairness to McTominay, that start came when Casemiro was last suspended against Arsenal and he performed well, albeit with Eriksen by his side. In all likelihood, he’ll start at St. James’ Park if Sabitzer isn’t available in what may be one of his last chances to show that he can continue to be a valuable member of the team.

But, as he showed when playing Luke Shaw as a central defender, Ten Hag isn’t afraid to use his players in unfamiliar positions in times of crisis. In this case, the only other option would be to move the energetic Bruno Fernandes into a deeper role alongside Fred with Jadon Sancho coming into play in the attacking midfielder role.

The winger has looked dangerous in the position in the few times he has been deployed there and it could be very interesting to see how he fares if given the chance to do so again. It will depend on whether Marcus Rashford is available to play on the left after his own injury, but it could be an exciting solution to a growing problem.

Ten Hag has only started McTominay and Fred together once in the Premier League this season, in the opening day loss to Brighton. There’s a reason the association has barely been around since then and it’s going to take some innovative thinking to ensure it doesn’t on Sunday.

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