Berbatov blasts ‘sleeping’ Man Utd and tells them to ‘wake up’ from their ‘crisis’
Former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov has told the “sleeping” Red Devils to “wake up” and start playing before it’s “too late”.
Erik ten Hag’s side have had a terrible start to the new Premier League season with three losses from their opening five matches of the campaign.
Their 3-1 defeat to Brighton on Saturday means they are already nine points adrift of early pace-setters and rivals Manchester City, who are ahead of Tottenham, Arsenal and Liverpool at the summit of the Premier League table.
And ex-Man Utd striker Berbatov wants to see their start to the season “corrected immediately” with improved performances as Ten Hag’s men are “being outplayed”
Berbatov told Betfair: “On the pitch, based on the results and how they’ve been performing I think United are in a little bit of a crisis. Man United are still sleeping and we saw that against Brighton.
“Man United were fully out-played and out-smarted and they deserved to lose. The way Brighton played football, their intent with their passing and overall with everything they out-played United at Old Trafford.
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“The pressure is there for Erik ten Hag. They are losing points and not building anything. The season is going and until the team decide to wake up and start playing, it’ll be too late. Things need to be corrected immediately.
“I’m sure that everyone in the Man United dressing room is worried because they’re being outplayed. They were outplayed against Brighton and now they’re going to face Bayern Munich – one of the powerhouses of Europe.
“Unfortunately, based on how they’ve been doing and if they play anything like they have done so far this season, Man United will lose this game.”
Berbatov added: “I don’t think the takeover will affect the players, but Erik ten Hag and his management staff, as well as those higher up and closer to the owners who run the club will be affected more than others.
“They’re in a bit of a crisis off the pitch at the moment with the takeover also. One minute it’s on, next minute it’s off. No one seems to know what’s going on or where things stand. Some think it’s down to what happens on the pitch, the coaching decisions or the players. I think they’re all connected in a way.
“Some people are saying that the mini crisis is starting with the ownership because they’re the guys who are laying the foundations for everything that goes down the chain.
“Everything starts from the top, that’s where you set the standards, then it’s a chain. When there’s uncertainty it will affect everybody differently, how you do your job, how you do your directors job, your manager’s job, your scouting job.
“The game on Saturday didn’t only highlight the difference on the pitch. The Brighton owner knows exactly what to do and exactly how to run the club.
“You can see that their results aren’t a fluke, it’s proof of a carefully built strategy. They play some of the best football and they also manage to win while doing so.
“In terms of scouting, they don’t wait for players to be sold before they start looking for replacements. They’re prepared for when their best players leave.”
