Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag angrily repeated four words to journalists in the post-match media zone after the club’s 3-0 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday.
The Red Devils were hugely disappointing on Sunday, as they failed to put up a fight in front of their own fans at Old Trafford. Sunday’s result now means United go into the first international break of the Premier League campaign having lost two of their opening three games of the season.
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United went into the game against Liverpool on the back of an impressive summer, with the club adding five new players to the squad, the latest being midfielder Manuel Ugarte, who joined on Friday from PSG. However, that wasn’t enough for them to compete with their Merseyside rivals, as they were brushed aside 3-0 after two individual errors from midfielder Casemiro and another mistake from Kobbie Mainoo defence led to the third.
Overall, it was a disappointing day for the Red Devils, but while he thinks it is going to be a challenging week for Ten Hag, former captain Gary Neville believes the Dutchman will get until Christmas to turn around this poor start to the season.
Neville told Sky Sports: “It’s going to be a challenging week or so for Ten Hag, just to get around the fact that there will be some pressure building.
"But I think he will get until Christmas. There's no doubt about that. There's no doubt that INEOS and Dan Ashworth the chief executive – who has got a sense of calm about him – the [former Manchester] City chief executive [Omar Berrada] and Sir Dave Brailsford and those people, are not just going to do something stupid.
"Within three or four months, they have made the decision to keep him. They will get four or five months. What they can't be is mid-table come Christmas, but he is going to get a few months, there's no doubt about that."
Another former Man United captain, Roy Keane, was left unimpressed by his old side’s performance, and he likened it to the club’s problems from the 2023/24 campaign and suggested that “Leopards don’t change their spots”.
Keane told Sky Sports: “Same old problems. Leopards and spots. United are far too open. The statistics don't tell the story. It was far from an even game. Liverpool were very good and very efficient. They looked stronger and they looked fitter.
"You can try to dress it up a little bit, but United were shocking. They were absolutely shocking. Every time Liverpool went forward, they looked like they were going to score. There were two mistakes from an experienced player [Casemiro] and then another mistake at the start of the second half. It wasn't good.
"There's been a lot of PR the last few months about plans for the stadium and blah, blah, blah, but in a big game against Liverpool, United didn't turn up. For a game like this to be over after an hour, it's hard to accept."
Games
118
Won
69
Drawn
15
Lost
34
Stats as per Transfermarkt
After the game, Ten Hag was asked about his side’s performance, and in one of his responses he went on to repeat four words twice to reaffirm his status as the right man for the job.
Erik ten Hag hits out after Liverpool
United’s 3-0 defeat to Liverpool at Old Trafford has no doubt put Ten Hag under serious pressure already, just three games into the new season. The Dutchman has been backed by the club’s board, and it is now down to him to show that he is the right man to lead them back to the top.
However, Sunday was a real disappointment for everyone involved in the club, and that result meant Ten Hag goes into this international break with a lot to think about. After the match, he was asked is the problem his coaching and not the players, and he responded by repeating “I’m sorry for you” twice in his short response, referring to his trophy haul as Red Devils boss.
Via Man United Zone, he hit out: “You are sure? I don’t think so, or you wouldn’t win trophies like we did and to beat big opponents. I’m sorry for you. After City, we won the most trophies. I’m sorry for you.”
Not all the blame can lie at ten Hag’s door, but the Dutchman has to take a big responsibility, as this United team is full of players who are established internationals who should be able to compete with a Liverpool side starting their own rebuild.
