MANCHESTER United manager Erik ten Hag said the humiliating 3-0 home Premier League defeat by Bournemouth left him “annoyed” and “disappointed” and admitted his side were “not good enough to be consistent” as their season lurched into another bout of soul-searching.
The latest setback is as bad as any experienced during Ten Hag’s tenure, with skipper Bruno Fernandes calling the performance “not acceptable”.
Ten Hag, meanwhile, described United’s start as “no good” and “poor”.
Once they had fallen behind to Dominic Solanke’s fifth-minute effort, they never seriously threatened an equaliser.
Coming seven days after the performance at Newcastle that was roundly condemned, it raised serious questions over the assurances Ten Hag delivered around the midweek win over Chelsea that United were moving forward.
Asked if his current squad could achieve the consistency required of an elite team, Ten Hag admitted the answer was negative.
“As a squad, we are not good enough to be consistent,” he said.
“I’m annoyed, disappointed, definitely. I expected something different. The way we started was no good. It was poor.”
Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton told BBC Radio 5 Live that United were “being schooled in their own backyard” and that the scoreline “flattered” them.
Match of the Day pundit and former England midfielder Jermaine Jenas said: “You haven’t got a clue what the future looks like. Whatever is in Ten Hag’s mind, I can’t see it on the football pitch. I don’t think we’re going to see it.”
United have now lost 11 games in all competitions this season, the same as they have won. This was their seventh defeat in 16 matches in the league. They have gone behind in half of those 16 games and conceded nine goals in the first half-hour of matches at Old Trafford in all competitions.
And, while Bournemouth are unquestionably improving and have taken 13 points from five games, the fact that trips to Liverpool and West Ham, followed by a Boxing Day encounter with Aston Villa, loom after Tuesday’s Champions League encounter with Bayern Munich – a match United must win to stand any chance of reaching the last 16 – cannot fill any supporter with optimism for what lies ahead.
