Fighting talk from Ten Hag, but United lurch further into crisis

ERIK ten Hag was positively Churchillian in his declaration that “we will turn it” when it comes to Manchester United’s flagging fortunes.

But the preceding 90-plus minutes, and a third league defeat already in this new campaign, suggested otherwise; as did the reaction of supporters who, for the first time in the Dutchman’s 13-month reign, widely disapproved of one of his decisions.

The boos that greeted Ten Hag’s substitution of debutant Rasmus Hojlund for perennial under-achiever Anthony Martial after an hour, met with universal dissent from the Old Trafford crowd.

The response that followed the final whistle, and a fourth consecutive league defeat to Brighton in the past 16 months, was slightly less vocal but, nonetheless, unmistakable.

“It is difficult to deal with it but you have to do it,” said Ten Hag. “As I've said, stick to the plan, stick to the rules. You have to believe, you have to fight as a team and we will turn it.” 

Fighting talk although, if actions speak louder than words, there was precious little evidence of the former from ten Hag’s players at the end of another tempestuous period in the club’s very public descent into dysfunction.

Since defeat at Arsenal less than two weeks ago, Antony has been placed on leave, following allegations about his private life, and Jadon Sancho forced to train on his own away from the first team after his public criticism of his manager.

All this, of course, hot on the tail of United’s chronic mishandling of the Mason Greenwood affair after their former striker was told to pursue his career away from Old Trafford.

It must almost have made United supporters long for the early days of ten Hag’s reign, 12 months ago, when Greenwood was in stasis and the only public