Ten Hag future, Rashford redemption, injury crisis - Five burning Man United questions ahead of new season

The new season is upon us and for Manchester United fans, it is easy to get carried away.

Erik ten Hag is still the manager, there have been several high-profile exciting appointments and four major signings have been secured ahead of the Premier League opener against Fulham.

Yet after an eighth-place finish and a campaign in the Europa League to look forward to, it is perhaps worth having a reality check about how difficult it will be to finish inside the top four this season.

There is still a huge element of uncertainty at Old Trafford and here are five burning questions ahead of the 2024/25 season:

Is Marcus Rashford set for redemption?

A year ago, Rashford headed into the new season after a stellar campaign in which he scored 30 goals across all competitions and hit a world-class high. He ended it with just eight goals to his name and watched on as England reached the European Championship final.

At 26, he should be hitting his peak and United's fortunes this season could depend on the individual output of Rashford, who is arguably their most influential forward still.

It won't be an easy task though. Rashford struggled in the Community Shield and could have no complaints if he lost his starting role on the left wing to Alejandro Garnacho. If he struggles again this season, he could easily be sold next summer instead.

Have the injury issues been solved?

Ten Hag is confident United have addressed the issues that led to their injury crisis last season, but the early signs suggest that this might not be the case.

Rasmus Hojlund and Leny Yoro are both sidelined for the beginning of the new campaign, while Luke Shaw picked up a calf injury upon his return to Carrington.

United will hope these injuries are all just an unfortunate coincidence, but it is a relevant concern when some players believed Ten Hag's training regime was partly to blame for all the setbacks last season.

How do the new signings strengthen the squad?

United boast four new signings before the Premier League season has even begun and it will be fascinating to see how they fit into this side.

Leny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt should bring a clear improvement in central defence, though there are real concerns about Noussair Mazraoui's injury record after he arrived from Bayern Munich. Joshua Zirkzee should bring extra firepower in attack, though it is hard to see where he fits into a fully fit United side.

They certainly look to be an improvement on those who left this summer, but now they have to prove that they have strengthened the squad.

Can Rasmus Hojlund become 20-goal a season striker?

There were signs of promise during Hojlund's debut season, but there were also questions about his suitability for a United side that needed more experience in the forward line.

The Danish forward was done no favours by Rashford's poor campaign, nor the fact they became so quickly over-reliant on him either. Those issues should hopefully have been eased by the arrival of Zirkzee, yet Hojlund is still the main man in attack.

With one season already under his belt, all eyes will be on whether or not Hojlund can build upon the 15 goals from last time and establish himself as a 20-goal a season striker in the Premier League.

Will Ten Hag survive the season?

United insist they gave full backing to Ten Hag ahead of the new season, but the truth is they considered replacing him and couldn't find anyone better suited to the role. His 'new contract' was just a one-year extension of the old one and there is far less room for error.

With a functional football hierarchy in place, a refreshed coaching staff, and four major summer signings, Ten Hag won't have any excuses if United don't improve on the pitch this season.

He is under more pressure than ever in the managerial role and with Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake in the coaching staff, there are two readymade replacements should a change be required.