From the 4-0 battering at the hands of Brentford to the 3-1 triumph over current table-toppers Arsenal, Manchester United's supporters have experienced just about every emotion possible already this season.
The Reds, who will resume their Premier League campaign with a trip across town to face rivals Manchester City after the international break, have won five and lost three of their first eight competitive fixtures of the Erik ten Hag era. After losing their opening two league games, being well beaten by Brighton & Hove Albion and embarrassed by Brentford, United have won five of their last six in all competitions.
They will resume their schedule at City by going in search of a fifth straight league win. The Reds picked up their fourth and most impressive league win of the season so far prior to the current break, beating an impressive Arsenal side at Old Trafford.
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Considering United were being criticised from just about every corner of the globe after the defeat at Brentford, both Ten Hag and the players deserve huge amounts of credit for how quickly they have turned their fortunes around. Still, the Reds remain a work in progress under the Dutchman and have a lot more groundwork to do before they can be considered as the finished product.
But with the campaign currently paused for the first international break of the campaign, now is as good a time as any to reflect on the season so far and pick out some of winners and losers of the first eight games of the Ten Hag era.
Winners
Despite spending north of £225million in a record-breaking summer transfer window, it is the free signing of Christian Eriksen that has been the most impressive piece of business so far. The Denmark international has cemented himself as a focal point in Ten Hag's system. After being deployed as a false-nine and then as a defensive-midfielder in the defeats to Brighton and Brentford, respectively, he has found home in a free-roaming No.8 role. He has excelled in the position and his class is becoming more and more apparent. Much of United's good play comes through him and he is integral to the Reds' style of play.
Another player who has become indispensable in Ten Hag's plans is Raphael Varane. The Frenchman, who saw his first season at Old Trafford plagued by injury woes, has become a leader of men at the back, highlighted by the fact that United have won every game that he has started so far this season. He has helped Lisandro Martinez adapt to life in the Premier League, too, meaning his presence has been felt in more ways than one. He, like Eriksen, is now one of the first names on the teamsheet and his importance cannot be ignored.
Marcus Rashford is the final big 'winner' of the opening period of the campaign. The academy graduate has scored three goals and grabbed two assists in six Premier League appearances so far and has recently established himself as Ten Hag's first-choice striker. After scoring just five goals in the whole of last season, his transformation has been telling, even if it remains early days in the season. He is playing with confidence and a smile again. Long may it continue.
Other players who deserve honourable mentions for their starts to the season include Tyrell Malacia, Scott McTominay, Jadon Sancho and Martinez. They have all shown signs of encouragement.
Losers
After a very encouraging pre-season campaign, nobody has been more unfortunate in the United squad so far this season than Anthony Martial. The Frenchman, after notching three goals in the pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia, has featured just once so far this season because of injury problems. To frustrate him even further, he was excellent in the match he did feature in, providing the assist for Rashford's first goal of the season in the 2-1 win over Liverpool last month. He could be like a new signing once back fit, should he perform like he did in pre-season.
After missing almost all of pre-season, it was always going to be hard for Cristiano Ronaldo to hit the ground running. However, the Portuguese international will be bitterly disappointed and frustrated by the fact he has started just once in the Premier League so far under Ten Hag. Rashford has been preferred up front and he only got his chance against Sheriff Tiraspol last week because of the former's injury. He has work to do win his place in the league back.
There is no end in sight to Harry Maguire's United woes, it seems. After starting the opening two league fixtures, he has been left on the bench for the last four, with Varane and Martinez preferred at centre-back. The size of the challenge the United captain faces to get back into the team is enormous, such is the form of the aforementioned duo. An injury or suspension is likely to be his only route back into Ten Hag's immediate plans.
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