In Focus: United meltdown on cards as Ten Hag dealt sorry hand

Manchester United are in crisis and the Premier League season is only one game old.

Brighton’s 2-1 win turned Erik ten Hag’s Theatre of Dreams debut into a nightmare and laid bare the problems he has inherited at Old Trafford on an uncomfortable afternoon.

While Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea — all expected to be battling for the two Champions League spots below Manchester City and Liverpool — cruised to opening day wins, United were woeful.

We take a look at the Old Trafford mess and what can be done to fix it ahead of their trip to Brentford on Saturday.

Nightmare start

All teams lose games — and defeats do not necessarily come off the back of poor performances.

But the first half against the Seagulls was dreadful as Graham Potter’s side showed the value of a club in sync from top to bottom.

Brighton do not have the big-name stars that United possess, but they have recruited quality players who all fit the manager’s game-plan.

You would never have known that their two best performers from last season departed this summer.

On the footballing side, they are everything that United are not.

Unrest at ownership

United owners the Glazer family have been the subject of protests for nearly all of their 17-year reign.

Ever since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, their decisions in the boardroom have harmed United’s chances on the pitch.

Be it managerial appointments, trusting Ed Woodward to run the football side of operations or splashing the cash on failed signings, the anger from the fanbase continues to build.

After the weekend loss, Gary Neville said: “The time has come for the Glazer family to sell the football club. It’s now.

“The people above him should have known that was an unacceptable situation to hand Erik ten Hag that squad.”

Mid-table midfield

There are two glaring issues in United’s squad — and the midfield is one of them.

Reports suggest that a defensive midfielder was the first position Ten Hag wanted filled when he joined.

It is why United have been trying to sign Frenkie de Jong for weeks and it is why it looks like Adrien Rabiot could join before the weekend.

But for the game against Brighton, Scott McTominay and Fred started. And the result was not surprising.

Red Devils legend Paul Scholes said: “The quality in the middle of the pitch was nowhere near good enough but we’ve seen that for the last few years with these two players.

“With Fred and McTominay, he [Ten Hag] is going to have to go with just one of them but even one of them is probably too many.

“Fred gives the ball away all the time and McTominay is trying to run with the ball constantly and then gives it away. Pass it to your best players! It’s not that difficult. It’s criminal.”

Lack of striking options

Eriksen’s United career started as a false nine, which says a lot.

Ten Hag used Marcus Rashford out wide, which suggests the only forwards he believes can play through the middle are Cristiano Ronaldo and Anthony Martial.

The former is still getting up to full match fitness after missing a large chunk of pre-season and did come on at half-time, while the latter has injured his hamstring after promising displays in July.

Even so, Graeme Souness rubbished any notion that Martial, 26, could reignite his United career under Ten Hag.

He said: “The manager is relying on players already there and you look at someone like Anthony Martial.

“How many opportunities is that young man going to get to be a Manchester United player? He’s proven already to me he’s not.”

The fix

In the short term, there is only one answer to United’s problems. If they want to make real progress in Ten Hag’s first year, they need new signings.

They have a manager with a set style of play — and an attractive one at that. Bring in a striker, a holding midfielder and look at other areas that need upgrading, such as right-back,.

Otherwise it will be another long, painful and ultimately fruitless season at the former Theatre of Dreams.

Long term, a change of ownership is needed before there is ever any sort of harmony at United.