Gary Neville rips into ’embarrassing’ Man Utd as Ashley Young tells Ten Hag he’s got it wrong with Marcus Rashford

Erik ten Hag’s job as Manchester United manager is under serious threat following the Red Devils’ dismal display in their 3-0 loss to Tottenham on Sunday.

Man Utd were outclassed and outworked by Spurs in the first 45, before a red card to Bruno Fernandes just before half-time made things even more difficult.

Ten Hag’s side have picked up just seven points from a possible 18 so far this season, leaving them in 12th place in the Premier League table.

Gary Neville held no punches while discussing Man Utd’s dismal display: “The first half was as bad as it gets,” Neville said live on Sky Sports.

“This is a shocking day, a sobering day. This is a really bad day for Ten Hag.” On Fernandes’ red card, the Red Devils legend added: “That sums up Manchester United in the first half. They have been an absolute disgrace.

“It’s one of the worst performances I have seen under Ten Hag. And that is saying something. It is really bad. “I know that David Moyes had some bad ones in the early days, so has Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer] along the way, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ralf Rangnick, but that felt like one of those days today where they sank really low.

“Today has shocked me how low they’ve gone. It was a really bad one.”

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Ashley Young: ‘There was no effort, no work rate’

Former Man Utd star Ashley Young was also on punditry duty for Sky Sports for Man Utd’s loss to Tottenham. He believes that the team look ‘disjointed’ and that there was ‘no effort’ on show at Old Trafford, which is certainly a worrying sign.

The Everton full-back said: “Manchester United just didn’t commit. There was no effort, no work rate, no one was running, they didn’t have any leaders on the pitch.

“Everything seemed disjointed. It looked like there was just so many individuals all over the place. No one wanted to take the ball, no one wanted to create anything. Everything was bad from start to finish.

“When we talked at half-time about who was the home team, Tottenham were so comfortable. They didn’t do nothing. They didn’t get in behind. Tottenham’s two centre halves weren’t troubled. It looked like Tottenham were the home team, United fans are going to go home disappointed and rightly so as well.”

Young added that he doesn’t believe Marcus Rashford’s current role on the left-wing suits him. The England international has scored just one goal so far this season and looks a shadow of his former self.

“Rashford needs more of a free role. If the manager was to say to him ‘go and express yourself’, that’s when he’s at his best. He’s earnt a right with what he’s done for this football club. Hopefully his confidence will come back more and more.”

“A bit like what Chelsea have done with Cole Palmer. We saw Palmer play on the right, and it wasn’t really for him. When he has more of a free role, that’s when he’s at his best. And I think that’s the same for Marcus.”

Erik ten Hag is on the brink – sources

As mentioned, Man Utd’s poor results and performances have put Ten Hag in serious danger of being sacked.

TEAMtalk correspondent Fraser (Fletcher) Gillan exclusively revealed last week that Man Utd are actively looking for a ‘world-class’ manager to replace the Dutchman.

His sacking is a ‘matter of time,’ per sources, and we understand that Ten Hag would not have kept this job if the Red Devils were able to find a suitable replacement over the summer.

Those close to the club were both ‘delighted and concerned’ when Man Utd won the FA Cup last season, because it made sacking Ten Hag much more problematic.

Man Utd face Porto away in the Europa League on Thursday before travelling to Aston Villa next weekend. An international break follows those two fixtures, so if not before, Ten Hag could be relieved of his duties in that interim if the Red Devils lose those two games.

IN FOCUS: Man Utd’s worst PL starts after six games

2002/03 – Eight points

After finishing third in the Premier League in 2001/02, United broke the British transfer record to sign Rio Ferdinand from Leeds.

But they made a poor start to the 2002/03 season and sat in 10th place after winning two, drawing two and losing two of their opening six games.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s side rediscovered their best form in the second half of the season and won the Premier League title, finishing five points ahead of Arsenal.

2014/15 – Eight points

Louis van Gaal failed to win any of his first three Premier League games, losing 2-1 to Swansea City before drawing against Sunderland and Burnley.

United then beat QPR 4-0, lost 5-3 to Leicester City and won 2-1 against West Ham, leaving them on eight points after six games.

They did improve over the course of the season and finished in fourth place, securing a return to the Champions League.

2019/20 – Eight points

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first full season in charge of United got off to a difficult start as they picked up eight points from their first six league games in 2019/20.

They beat Chelsea and Leicester City but drew against Wolves and Southampton and also lost to Crystal Palace and West Ham.

Bruno Fernandes’ arrival in the January transfer window changed United’s fortunes and they finished the season in third place.

2013/14 – Seven points

After Ferguson retired at the end of the 2012/13 season, David Moyes took over as United manager but failed to make a good first impression.

United picked up just seven points from their first six league games in 2013/14 after beating Swansea and Crystal Palace, drawing with Chelsea and losing against Liverpool, Manchester City and West Brom.

Moyes failed to turn things around and was sacked in April 2014 as United finished the season in seventh place.

2024/25 – Seven points

Alongside the 2013/14 campaign, United’s start to the current season is their joint-worst in Premier League history.

Ten Hag’s side beat Fulham and Southampton and drew 0-0 against Crystal Palace but lost 2-1 at Brighton and also lost 3-0 at home to both Liverpool and Tottenham.

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