Man Utd are going backwards one year into Erik ten Hag's project - and this time there's no transfer window to solve their problems
The Red Devils were expected to build on last season's progress, but instead it feels like they are back to square one
Erik ten Hag's Manchester United reign began with a home defeat to Brighton and, 13 months on, there was a huge sense of deja-vu after the Seagulls ran riot at Old Trafford on Saturday, winning 3-1 to end United's year-long unbeaten home run. Brighton had a different man in charge back then, and even though they were going places under Graham Potter, they have made a stunning improvement under the guidance of Roberto De Zerbi, who has led them into Europe for the first time.
United, meanwhile, look back to square one. They are as weak, if not weaker, defensively than at the start of last season, and they are seriously lacking creativity in attack. Marcus Rashford was the only player who looked capable of causing much damage on Saturday, with Bruno Fernandes looking stunted, Christian Eriksen struggling to have an impact and Casemiro looking shorn of all the power and class he showed last season.
Where do United go from here? Last August, they still had time to remedy their problems in the transfer market, signing Casemiro and then Antony. But now, they have already done their business and the transfer window shut two weeks ago. Meanwhile, they are without Antony and Jadon Sancho for indefinite periods for non-sporting reasons and have a worryingly long injury list, just three aspects of a spiralling of problems for Ten Hag over the last three months.
Ten Hag's arrival last season brought hope to United after a series of bad coaching hires since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement. He delivered a first trophy in six years and seemed to have raised standards off the pitch. But rather than kick on this season and
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