Erik ten Hag has been grilled by Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville after the disastrous start to his reign as Manchester United manager.
Defeats to Brighton and Brentford have put Ten Hag under immediate pressure after a difficult introduction to life as a Premier League coach.
Manchester United’s chaotic transfer window, in which they have signed only three new first-team players after a calamitous 2021/22 campaign, has contributed to their struggles.
Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro is expected to join in a £60m move but even that points to a lack of planning and foresight at Old Trafford.
The signing of Lisandro Martinez, the centre-half Ten Hag was insistent on bringing with him from Ajax, has encouraged a sort of culture war due to his perceived inability to cope with the English game as a 5ft 9in central defender.
Carragher and Neville brought up his chastening start in a sit-down Sky Sports interview, which has been previewed ahead of a full release on Monday Night Football before Manchester United face Liverpool.
Put to him by Carragher that Brighton and Brentford have both targeted Martinez with more long balls, Ten Hag was unmoved.
“The data shows he is dominating,” the manager said.
Carragher quickly responded by subsequently asking why Ten Hag substituted Martinez off at half-time against Brentford if that was the case.
“I could have subbed 11 players,” he replied.
As to whether he feels “let down” by recruitment, as Neville phrased it, Ten Hag issued a sort of explanation for the club’s difficulty in identifying and procuring suitable targets.
“We want to have the right players in and not just any players,” he pointed out, before reiterating he has “confidence” that Manchester United can still add to the squad before the transfer window closes.
The list of players linked with Manchester United has been particularly eclectic this summer, ranging from Asmir Begovic to Adrien Rabiot and Casemiro as alternatives to Frenkie de Jong, and then the ill-fated specuatlion surrounding Marko Arnautovic.
Ten Hag, however, insists that he and the club are working “together” to find players.
The Dutchman then sought to dampen talk of Cristiano Ronaldo leaving. Carragher suggested that a manager could make a statement in selling a high-profile player who clearly does not want to be there, but Ten Hag replied: “That’s not what he’s telling us.”
Ronaldo teased an interview “in a couple weeks” after slamming the media…
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