Fred played poorly as Manchester United missed Eriksen.

united was made aware of the regret regarding the transfer.

Kieran Trippier was a player who Manchester United was interested in signing during the previous year, and for many fans, he may still represent one who got away. United did not want to pay the transfer costs that Atletico Madrid requested, therefore Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was unable to sign any worthy competition for Aaron Wan-Bissaka at right back. The decision was made to fire Solskjaer, interest in the move waned, and Trippier, who was born in Bury but relocated to the North East instead of the North West.

This summer, Erik ten Hag rejected the desire to bolster the position by finding an alternative in the form of Diogo Dalot. Instead, he chose to resist the temptation. The Portuguese player had a strong start to the season, but his play has deteriorated in recent weeks. This could be due to the heavy workload that he has been given given that he has started every game so far this season.

Dalot is in danger of burnout, just like Wan-Bissaka was in his debut season, and even if he stays healthy, there are serious issues about his long-term appropriateness for Ten Hag's team given his recent downturn in form. This is the case because of Dalot's poor performance recently.

On Sunday afternoon, the Portuguese had difficulty playing against Newcastle, while Trippier, on the other hand, continued to demonstrate his excellence. This season in the Premier League, no other player has been able to generate more chances from set plays than he has been able to, and the England fullback has also been the player who has played more passes into the box than any other player has been able to this season.

They could benefit from having a right back with Trippier's level of creativity and composure in their aim of controlling games over the long term.

The troubles that United are having have been made worse by injuries, but their lack of depth in the middle of the field was still exposed over the weekend. Both Scott McTominay and Christian Eriksen were sidelined due to absences, with the former due to an injury and the latter to illness. A longer-term injury setback for Donny van de Beek, who is also out of favor with the coaching staff.

As a result of the shortage, both Zidane Iqbal and Kobbie Mainoo were given spots on the substitute bench for the game. Despite the fact that both players have great potential in the long run, they are not yet at the level required to be thrown into the deep end of the pool.

It is possible that one of the teenagers, if not both of them, could become a viable senior alternative for Ten Hag if they are groomed carefully; nevertheless, until such time as they do, Ten Hag will still need to be in the market for a new midfielder the following season.

Eriksen profoundly missed

Eriksen was the lone bright spot in United's performance, and he was the reason why. The illness that was plaguing the Dane caused him to pull out of the squad at the last minute, and as a result, Fred was handed the progressive midfield duty, which is the same role he displayed so frequently in during the previous season.

Fred's ability to be creative back then made an impression, but times have changed and new benchmarks have been set, and the Brazilian is no longer competitive. On Sunday afternoon, his irregular passing and bad distribution were a problem for his team, which resulted in United once again being unable to establish control of a game they were playing.

Ten Hag's long-term ambition for United is for them to drive opponents into submission as a result of their own smothering in possession, but that seems like it will be a long way off until they can add another player to their side who possesses the same traits as Eriksen.

Because of his advanced age (30), it is unrealistic to expect the Denmark international to play a significant part in each and every game this season, and if they do not have a competent replacement for him, they may be forced to adjust their strategy when they are competing without him.

The dispersion of De Gea is a concern.

David de Gea had expressed optimism about his long-term prospects at the club and was open to the idea of signing a new contract on the day before the game. However, by the time the game was over, the same concerns about the goalkeeper's ability to contribute to the team persisted.

The Spaniard is still a strange fit for a team that is trying to transition into a confident ball-playing side, despite the fact that he is still perhaps the finest shot-stopping goalkeeper in the Premier League. Just as clear as his virtues are his weaknesses.

When playing against Newcastle, De Gea was responsible for some wayward passing, and he showed signs of the terrible performance he had against Brentford when he played a "hospital pass" straight to Fred on the edge of the box. Fred immediately lost possession of the ball and allowed an opponent to take a shot on goal.

It is quite evident that the 31-year-old should continue to be United's first option for the remainder of the season; nevertheless, in order for Ten Hag to push United to the next level, he will need to make some tough decisions.

A shortage of available weaponry

Ten Hag didn't want to take any chances with Anthony Martial's health, but looking back on it now, he might wish he'd taken a chance. Once again, United did not have the firepower to score, and they had very little chance of doing so against a Newcastle team who defended brilliantly.

Once again, Ronaldo appeared to be disoriented in front of the goal, dropping deep and drifting wide in order to get on the ball rather than lurking in the box because he is having trouble adapting to Ten Hag's expectations.

The substitution of Marcus Rashford provided United with a late spark in the attacking line, but despite having two opportunities, he failed to capitalize on either of them. He did an outstanding job of getting around Nick Pope and beating the offside trap, but instead of shooting, he passed the ball back to Fred, who sent it wide.

Then, when they had the very final chance of the match, he moved brilliantly to get on the end of Casemiro's cross into the box, but he headed wide when it meant the most, the finish of a winger rather than a No. 9.

On a day when numerous problems pertaining to the long-term composition of the squad were discussed, it was once again brought to light how critical it is to have a long-term center forward.