Early Season Pressure Builds at Manchester United
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The 3-1 loss at home against Brighton on the weekend in the Premier League means Manchester United have lost 3 of their 5 league fixtures this season.
Brighton were much the better team and deserved the 3 points while Manchester United were a shambles for much of the 90 minutes.
The fact Bruno Fernandes finished the match in defence shows just how unorganised Manchester United were in the game.
The Portuguese changed his position as Erik ten Hag switched to a 3-4-3 formation with the introduction of Alejandro Garnacho, Facundo Pellistri and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Fans booed the manager when he took off new signing Rasmus Hojlund in the second half and Ten Hag could be losing the faith of the Old Trafford crowd.
The Dutchman has enjoyed the support of the fans since he arrived from Ajax but there are signs that is about to change, with a big test upcoming against Bayern Munich in the Champions League followed by Burnley away in the Premier League.
There have been issues off the pitch again this season for Ten Hag to deal with and that has not helped preparation on the pitch.
Having dealt with Cristiano Ronaldo last season, this season has presented problems with Mason Greenwood, Antony, and Jadon Sancho. All 3 players are currently unavailable due to off the field problems.
However, during his time at the club, Ten Hag has been backed by money in the transfer market.
The manager has spent over £350 million on players, with Rasmus Hojlund, Casemiro, Mason Mount, Lisandro Martinez, Andre Onana, Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen, and Sofyan Amrabat joining the club.
Ten Hag needs his signings to deliver and quickly or serious question marks are going to be raised regarding his transfer business.
Casemiro has struggled this season and there are other players who were already at the club when Ten Hag arrived who do not appear up for the fight.
The scouting department at Manchester United clearly needs a revamp. Always buying players for big money has not been the answer and they need a change in direction.
Buying younger, up and coming players for lower transfer fees and wages could be the way forward.
Players who have yet to really make it at the top level rather than players who have already won it all or consider themselves to be at the pinnacle of their career.
Were all the signings the first choice of Ten Hag or did he miss out on players he really wanted?
Ten Hag wanted to offload several players this summer but the club failed to sell the likes of Scott McTominay and Harry Maguire, which is not the fault of the manager.
There have been calls for Ten Hag to leave after the performance against Brighton but removing managers after a period of poor results has not worked in the past.
Jurgen Klopp is the best thing that has happened at Liverpool for many years but his first four seasons at the club ended 8th, 8th, 4th, and 4th in the Premier League.
Arsenal are now being praised for their football under Mikel Arteta but he finished 8th, 8th, and 5th in his first three seasons at the Emirates Stadium.
Ten Hag is not the only reason for United's performance, so his sacking may not solve all the problems at Manchester United.
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