Man Utd Player of the Season 2023-24 power rankings: Alejandro Garnacho takes top spot amid competition from Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo

The Dutch defender hasn’t made any appearances after suffering numerous setbacks in his recovery from a knee injury sustained last year.

Martial’s United career is grinding towards its inevitable end. He was naturally usurped in the starting XI by Hojlund ever since the Dane recovered from his early-season back injury. He then typically succumbed to injury problems of his own, with his last appearance being the dreadful 3-0 loss to Bournemouth in December.

That is likely to be his last appearance in a career with the Red Devils which should never have lasted as long as it did. His final campaign will be remembered for just two goals, one assist and turning up for training at the wrong time.

Mount could hardly have had a worse start to his Manchester United career. The midfielder came with a £60-million price ($74m) price tag that many thought was inflated after a poor last campaign with Chelsea, and he produced few moments of excitement in pre-season, while it remained unclear exactly why Ten Hag wanted to sign him.

His competitive debut against Wolves was hugely underwhelming as he created no chances and couldn’t even win a tackle or a duel. His second match against Tottenham was equally disappointing, and then he picked up a hamstring injury. Fitness problems have continued to haunt him, limiting him to just five Premier League starts. His only goal, against Brentford, was cancelled out just moments later at the other end.

Antony’s already disappointing United career took a turn for the worse when his alleged violent behaviour towards women exposed a very troubling aspect of his personality and plunged the club into another off-field crisis, just when they thought they had put the Mason Greenwood saga behind them.

United gave the £85m ($105m) winger a leave of absence to deal with the accusations, and since returning he has continued to struggle. It took him almost six months to get his first goal of the season, a tap-in at Newport, and he had to wait until late April to score in the Premier League.

He has been too slow and too predictable, with every defender in the country knowing that he will always try and cut inside from the right wing, and his arrogant celebration after United sneaked past Coventry City in the FA Cup semi-finals summed up his lack of class.

The Brazilian’s sharp decline this season had been a huge concern for United and his career with the club is now in jeopardy after things got even worse in the final stretch to the campaign.

The serial-winning Brazilian was one of United’s best players last season, but made a bad start and looked off-the-pace as early as September. There was brief positive spell when he returned to action in January after three months out and he looked to have formed a strong partnership with Kobbie Mainoo, but he was shockingly bad from April onwards, particularly when asked to deputise at centre-back.

The nadir came with Jamie Carragher urging him to “call it a day” after his diabolical display at Crystal Palace. Will he survive the summer?

The Turkish goalkeeper finally made his debut in the FA Cup tie against Newport in January, almost five months after joining from Fenerbahce and following repeated snubs by Ten Hag. It was not a great debut as he conceded two goals, and as soon as Andre Onana came back from the Africa Cup of Nations, Bayindir returned to the bench.

It also says a lot about United’s fitness woes that he still managed to pick up an injury while not playing.

The Morocco international had a promising debut against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup in the unfamiliar position of left-back, but it has been almost all downhill from there. He was exposed against the Eagles in the Premier League and in the shambolic 3-2 defeat by Galatasaray.

Since returning to midfield, Amrabat did not improve until the final week of the campaign, as he seemed to struggle with the intense pace of the Premier League.

Wan-Bissaka’s season got off to a bad start when he missed six weeks after injuring his hamstring against Brighton in September. He then lost his place in the team to Diogo Dalot, only returning to the side due to the lack of any fit left-backs.

He has not coped well with the switch, making big mistakes in the FA Cup semi-final with Coventry and looking shell-shocked against former employers Crystal Palace. He is one of many United players facing an uncertain future in the summer.

The Swede made a decent start to the campaign, but then had his fair share of horror-shows against Brighton, Galatasaray and Brentford. He was also forced to deputise at left-back due to United’s chronic injury problems and found it very tough, particularly in the 3-0 defeat by Manchester City.

He did overtake Raphael Varane in the centre-back pecking order for a stretch and scored the only goal of the game against Luton, but was ruled out for two months after surgery. He had a shaky comeback at Villa, being run ragged by Leon Bailey after being forced to again deputise at left-back, and he has not featured since getting injured again at the end of March.

The Dane started most games last season before being the first player to come off after getting worn out. The opposite has been the case this term: Eriksen routinely starts on the bench and is then the first player Ten Hag looks to when things start going wrong.

He came to United’s rescue in the opening few game of the season against Wolves and Nottingham Forest. His lack of energy has since held him back, though, and he went three months without starting a game. The late-season injury crisis gave him a route back into the side, but he looked woefully off-the-pace against Palace.

United badly missed Shaw’s experience and leadership when he was absent for almost three months with a hamstring problem, and he gave the team a huge lift when he returned in November. His injury problems haunted him again in late December, however, forcing him to miss around five weeks.

His return again raised the team’s levels and he was outstanding in the dramatic win at Wolves, dovetailing effectively with Rashford. But his vulnerability to fitness problems has come under fresh scrutiny after he picked up a muscle injury at Luton in February. He has not been seen since and has a worrying record of starting just 177 out of a possible 378 matches since joining the Red Devils in 2015.

The World Cup-winning Argentine was one of United’s most important players last season until his campaign was wrecked by a horrific foot injury, and that continued to affect him when he returned as he was one of United’s worst performers, with poor displays against Tottenham, Forest, Brighton and Bayern Munich.

It then became apparent that he had not recovered properly from the injury and suffered a relapse, forcing him to have a second operation, ruling him out until 2024. Martinez’s return in late January was a welcome shot in the arm for Ten Hag’s side and he was superb against Wolves and West Ham until disaster struck and he injured his knee ligaments, ruling him out for another two months. He got injured again in his first game back, but could return for the FA Cup final.

The veteran defender was a surprise signing over the summer, but has rolled back the years and gave an astonishing performance in the vital win over Burnley in Septmber, providing a dream assist for Bruno Fernandes.

He was solid against Brentford and Sheffield United thereafter, but looked completely lost in the 3-0 drubbing by City, showing his limitations. He did produce a strong performance in the draw at Anfield and has generally done well when called upon, although he looked out of his depth against Crystal Palace.

Rashford was United’s best player by a mile last season and his drop-off this campaign has been alarming. He was the best of a very bad bunch in the first few weeks of the campaign, but his form continued to dip and he was finally dropped from the team in December. He steadily improved since the start of the new year, scoring in three consecutive league games, but could not keep it up.

His attitude and reputation took a real beating after he reported ill for training just hours after going clubbing in Belfast and has continued to look uninterested in large parts of games. He is on course to finish the campaign with less than a third of the goals he scored last season, and there is a growing sense that a departure this summer might be the best thing for everyone.

The Frenchman looked like United’s only reliable defender early in the season, making huge contributions against Wolves and Forest, but his injury problems came back to haunt him and he then lost his place in the side to Harry Maguire, with Ten Hag making the strange argument that he did not want Varane to play at left centre-back as he is right-footed.

Varane seized the opportunity that Maguire’s injury presented in December and reasserted his importance to the team, but he inevitably got injured again and has not played since early April.

His latest setback has underlined his vulnerability to fitness problems, which has been a big factor in the club deciding against renewing his contract. His three-year spell at Old Trafford feels like a big disappointment, despite the glimpses of class he has shown.

The Cameroon international was one of the most intriguing signings of the summer and was tasked with transforming United’s style of play after 12 years of David de Gea’s timid playing out from the back. He had a disastrous start to life at Old Trafford, however, making huge errors against Bayern Munich and Galatasaray while showcasing sloppy goalkeeping against Brentford and Nottingham Forest.

Onana staged a comeback from December onwards and was the hero of the penalty shootout win over Coventry. But he then had a topsy-turvy end to the season, making huge gaffes against Sheffield United and Burnley before being beaten by two long-range strikes at Palace.

He should be United’s No.1 again next season, although he must improve on his eventful debut campaign.

Hojlund had to wait a long, long time to score his first Premier League goal, but since finally breaking his domestic duck against Villa on Boxing Day, he found his groove, becoming the youngest player since Nicolas Anelka to score in five consecutive Premier League games.

The Dane was just starting to live up to his £72m ($89m) when he injured a muscle at Luton. He has struggled since returning, scoring just twice, and will need more support next season to avoid turning into yet another costly transfer mistake.

The Scotland midfielder was used sparingly by Ten Hag until his heroic cameo against Brentford in October, when he scored twice in added-time to turn a disastrous defeat into an epic win. That was the start of an unlikely but stunning run of form, as McTominay bagged crucial goals against Chelsea, Wolves, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Coventry.

He remains limited in his all-round play, but has proved a highly valuable squad player, vindicating the club’s decision to resist offers for him last summer and keep him around.

After a summer move to West Ham fell through, the former United captain was reduced to sitting on the bench and faced taunts from rival fans as well as a stream of abuse on social media. However, the injury to Martinez gave Maguire a new lease of life and he was a truly commanding presence between October and December, giving United much-needed stability at the back.

His turnaround has vindicated his decision to stay and fight for his place, although his progress has been interrupted by more injury struggles. His importance could be seen in how the team struggled without him at Palace, and Maguire’s resurgent form has been one of few green shoots in this dark campaign.

The Portuguese has had an up-and-down campaign, but has really improved overall. Dalot has turned into one of United’s most creative players, scoring the stunning winner at Sheffield United and an impressive strike at Wigan while setting up Garnacho’s awesome goal at Everton and providing a dream cross for McTominay at Villa.

He has also improved a lot defensively, locking down his place at right-back ahead of Wan-Bissaka. He has had a concerning finish to the campaign, like many of his team-mates, but should be looking to build on his progress next season.

The Portuguese received lots of criticism for his complaining and not delivering on the biggest occasions early in the season, but as the season has gone on, Fernandes has proved his worth to the team time and time again. He has bailed United out with moments of brilliance against Nottingham Forest, Burnley, Fulham, Liverpool and Sheffield United, and he is set to sign off the campaign as United’s top scorer and their highest assist provider.

The captain has also shown some leadership on numerous occasions, particularly through his determination to play as many games as possible. And when he was finally forced to miss the first game of his career due to injury, United fell apart against Palace.

Mainoo was set for a big role in Ten Hag’s side after a hugely impressive pre-season campaign, but he had the misfortune to suffer a freak ankle injury against Real Madrid in the United States.

Almost four months later, the 18-year-old finally made his full Premier League debut against Everton and it was more than worth the wait. He has grown in stature and confidence since, locking down his place in Ten Hag’s starting XI despite being the youngest player in the squad and delivering his share of stunning goals, against Newport, Wolves and Liverpool.

He looks set to be a transformative player for United who could quite feasibly run their midfield for the next decade, if not longer, and his emergence softens the blow of an otherwise awful campaign.

The Argentine has emphatically answered any questions about his maturity and his ability this season by developing into not only a regular starter, but one of United’s best players.

Garnacho’s outlandish bicycle kick against Everton made headlines around the world, and he has kicked on since, putting in brilliant displays against Aston Villa, Liverpool, West Ham and Chelsea. The winger has also made huge improvements in his defensive work and his movement off the ball, becoming a highly-valuable team player as well as an extraordinary-talented individual.

He is a star in the making and United will have to make sure they can return to being a club he will want to form a part of.