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Erik ten Hag slammed his Manchester United flops after Saturday’s dismal 2-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest condemned the troubled membership to their worst begin to a season since 1930.
Ten Hag accused his gamers of missing power and motivation throughout an terrible first half show during which they mustered only one shot.
It received even worse for the beleaguered United boss after the interval as Nicolas Dominguez put struggling Forest forward.
Marcus Rashford equalised with simply his third objective this time period, however Morgan Gibbs-White’s late strike handed United a fourth defeat of their final six video games in all competitions.
“It is disappointing. The loss was pointless. We misplaced it within the first half. We weren’t energised sufficient or invested sufficient,” Ten Hag stated.
“We must always make investments extra within the first half. Within the second we have been higher. Within the first half we should always have created some moments and we did not.
“We all know these outcomes are beneath our requirements The gamers will not be pleased with this however we’ve got to do higher.”
United, 9 factors adrift of the highest 4, have misplaced 9 of their opening 20 league video games for the primary time since 1989-90.
It’s now 14 defeats in all competitions for seventh positioned United this season — the final time they’d extra heading into the brand new 12 months was 1930-31.
They completed 2023 with 21 defeats in all competitions, an undesirable determine they’ve solely surpassed 3 times of their illustrious historical past.
‘So inconsistent’
Requested to elucidate United’s disastrous type, Ten Hag blamed the accidents which have denied him key gamers at varied factors within the marketing campaign.
“The accidents. Additionally some points however primarily the accidents maintain us again within the course of. In January we’ve got quite a lot of gamers returning so then our ranges will be greater,” he stated.
“We needed to change once more so each time we’ve got to swap our workforce. That does not assist or assist the routines of the workforce and it explains why you’re so inconsistent.
“We had 9 completely different partnerships within the again. It does not matter as properly, the followers do not wish to hear this, they wish to see us successful and that’s what we’ve got to serve them.”
United’s first defeat to Forest since 1994 got here in entrance of Dave Brailsford, who serves as the pinnacle of sport for the membership’s new buyers INEOS.
Brailsford, seated subsequent to United’s former boss Alex Ferguson on the Metropolis Floor, is the right-hand man to INEOS chief Jim Ratcliffe.
British billionaire Ratcliffe will head United’s soccer operations after shopping for 25 p.c of the membership from unpopular homeowners for the Glazers on Christmas Eve.
Requested what he thought Brailsford would take from United’s woeful efficiency, Ten Hag referenced the absence of sick striker Rasmus Hojlund, who scored the winner towards Aston Villa within the earlier sport.
“Undoubtedly he’ll see we’ve got our issues. You wish to construct on the final outcome however we needed to change our striker,” Ten Hag stated.
But to talk to Ratcliffe and his group, Ten Hag is dealing with a struggle to keep away from the sack.
However the former Ajax boss stays adamant he can flip the tide at a membership drifting dangerously off-course.
“It should occur. Little doubt about that,” he stated.
“We are going to work collectively to set excessive targets after all for achievements and buildings. We are going to discuss that.”
