Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag says derby loss one of most disappointing days

LONDON – In what is turning into a miserable season for Manchester United, manager Erik ten Hag said Sunday’s 3-0 demolition by local rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford was one of the most disappointing days in his tenure with the team.

Asked if Sunday was one of his worst days in the job, the downcast manager said: “Yes. Of course, it is disappointing.

“When you lose a derby in the way we lose is disappointing. First half we had a very good game plan and the execution was very good and then the penalty changed the moment.”

City’s scoring machine Erling Haaland converted a penalty in the 26th minute in his first of two goals, while Phil Foden added the visitors’ third in the 80th minute, sending disgruntled United fans to the exits early.

Former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville said his former team had been “obliterated” by their local rivals.

He told Sky Sports: “I saw (Scott) McTominay alongside (Christian) Eriksen in midfield I thought that was brave, if not a little bit reckless. I didn’t think it would work. I thought (Sofyan) Amrabat must be injured but we’ve had it confirmed he wasn’t.

“I don’t think it was a great day for his (ten Hag’s) substitutions. Last season, his substitutions were amazing. Every time he made them, it improved the team’s performance. I thought today the substitutions made them worse and opened them up more...

“That performance in the second half today was appalling. Amrabat coming off emptied midfield.”

However, he insisted that ten Hag is not the “fundamental cause” of United’s problems, noting: “I’ve seen this now with four or five managers down the line, where they really struggle in their second or third season.”

However, his former Three Lions teammate Jamie Carragher responded, saying: “I get what you’re saying in terms of rinse-repeat, different managers and stuff like that. We would all say it went well last season but none of us here can explain what Manchester United try to do in terms of how they play.”

United stumbled out to a horrible start to their season but there was a sense of the tide turning after their 1-0 Champions League win on Tuesday over Copenhagen, their third consecutive victory in all competitions.

But the chasm between the Manchester sides looked huge on Sunday as City ran circles around the home team in the second half.

Asked if United, who are eighth in the standings after 10 games, were heading in the wrong direction, ten Hag countered that the first half was toe-to-toe before the penalty and pointed to McTominay’s shot just before the break that goalkeeper Ederson punched over the bar.

United's loss marked the third time they had been beaten by three or more goals in a Premier League home game by City.

It was also City’s seventh win at Old Trafford under manager Pep Guardiola, whose squad turned the storied stadium into their personal playground on Sunday to the delight of visiting sky blue fans, who never stopped singing.

United’s demise under the Glazers has coincided with the rise of City as the dominant force in English football, thanks to backing from Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Mansour.

But money is not the only reason for the disparity in the performances of both clubs. United have outspent City in the transfer market in recent years but have wasted millions in the process.

Guardiola admitted he did not imagine such a gulf to develop between the Manchester teams when he arrived in England in 2016.

“I know what we have done. I didn’t expect it,” he said when asked if he had envisaged the change in fortunes for the clubs.

“I said many times we are in the same direction – the chairman, sporting director, manager and the players, we go there. When we lose or things aren’t going well we don’t find blame for someone. We work out what we have to do better and find solutions.”

Former United skipper Roy Keane suggested one solution for the Red Devils would be to strip the current incumbent, Bruno Fernandes, of the captaincy. He took over last summer after Harry Maguire was stripped of the role.

“What I saw today, I would take the captaincy off Fernandes. He is not captain material,” the Irishman said on Sky Sports. “He’s whinging, he’s moaning.

“I would start with that because the manager can control that. He is the opposite to what I would want as a captain.” REUTERS, AFP