The key questions behind Manchester United’s poor start to the season

Bruno Fernandes appears dejected after Manchester United’s defeat to Brighton (Martin Rickett/PA)

Out-of-sorts Manchester United have lost three successive matches for the first time since 2019 as their concerning start to the season continues.

The 4-3 defeat at Bayern Munich in Wednesday’s Champions League opener was the latest and, here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of the issues facing the Old Trafford giants.

Erik ten Hag’s second season at Old Trafford has got off to a poor start (Martin Rickett/PA)

After a wretched 2021-22 season, the Red Devils turned to meticulous Ajax boss Ten Hag in a bid to improve the club’s fortunes. The response was impressive as United went on to win the Carabao Cup – their first trophy in six years – and finish third in the Premier League, as well as going on to finish runners-up to Manchester City in the FA Cup final.

United rode their luck when beating Wolves 1-0 in their opener before seeing a bright start peter out in a 2-0 defeat at Tottenham. Ten Hag’s side bounced back from that and two early Nottingham Forest goals in their next game to win a 3-2 thriller, but since then things have gone downhill. A heartbreaking late 3-1 loss at Arsenal was compounded by a deserved defeat by the same scoreline at home to Brighton on Saturday, then Wednesday’s comprehensive 4-3 loss to Bayern. It all means United have lost four of their opening six matches for the first time since 1986-87.

Fans have continued to protest against the ownership of the club (Nick Potts/PA)

Fans have protested against the Glazer family since their controversial leveraged takeover in 2005. Last November’s announcement of a strategic review, including the possibility of a full sale, brought hope of change. Sir