Former Manchester United player Gary Neville gives his verdict on Erik ten Hag after Manchester City humbling

Speaking to Sky Sports, Former Manchester United star Gary Neville claimed that Red Devils’ boss Erik ten Hag should be given more time to prove his worth despite the mauling against Pep Guardiola and Co. After a penalty kick by Erling Haaland had split the scores at the half, City put on a show to win 3-0, rather comfortably we might admit.

United have now lost five of its first ten games and are now ranked ninth in the Premier League standings. This season, their only victories have come against Nottingham Forest, Wolves, Brentford, Sheffield United, and Burnley. To be fair, we were lucky to come away with three points in three of them.

But the loss to City was a new low as the players lacked the stomach for a fight at Old Trafford. The less said about the second half, the better. Speaking after full-time, Neville stated that while performances have been lacking, changing the manager isn’t the solution.

“The level of performances have been really, really poor. Changing the manager? Absolutely not. But there’s no doubt that he is having issues.”

“They have allowed another manager to come in and dictate policy and let the tail wag the dog on recruitment. They have brought eight players in [who have played in the Eredivisie at some stage] from basically a league that Erik ten Hag thinks he trusts.”

Man Utd supporters left in large numbers before the final whistle because City controlled possession and limited the home team’s scoring prospects. Ederson was forced to make a brilliant stop from Scott McTominay, and Marcus Rashford missed a fantastic opportunity. However, all in all, Ten Hag will be under more pressure because of the lifeless performance.

The Old Trafford fans booed Rasmus Hojlund’s substitution in the second half, a baffling decision given that we were chasing the game. Switching Mason Mount for Sofyan Amrabat at halftime also came under intense scrutiny.

Erik ten Hag’s second season with the Red Devils has lacked not just style and substance but also identity. The lack of conviction among a set of players who were brought in for megabucks reflects poorly on the management.

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Manchester United will be aiming to get back to winning ways against Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup Round of 16 on Wednesday, November 1. While Neville is entitled to his opinions, he will need to set aside his personal feelings on the matter and look at the hard facts.

Erik ten Hag has a long way to go to compete against the best sides and his post-match comments did little to inspire confidence. The likes of Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur have addressed their issues in the summer and are once again back to their best. We, on the other hand, have taken a step backwards. Surely the buck has to stop with Ten Hag somewhere.