Man Utd legend blames Ten Hag and one star for ‘so far off it’ Red Devils ‘quickly getting worse’
Manchester United legend Dwight Yorke has hit out at his former club as he feels they are “very quickly heading in the wrong direction”.
The optimism at Old Trafford was raised in the summer as Man Utd had a positive transfer window following INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s takeover at the start of this year.
Ratcliffe has made significant changes at Man Utd in recent months, but he opted to stick with Erik ten Hag after the disappointing 2023/24 campaign.
Man Utd’s season ended on a high as they beat Man City at Wembley to win the FA Cup and this saved Ten Hag’s job after they finished eighth in the Premier League.
The Red Devils spent around £185m on new signings in the summer, but have still struggled as they have lost three of their opening six Premier League games.
Ten Hag is currently the favourite to be the next Premier League manager sacked, so he’s under pressure to get a result against Porto on Thursday and Aston Villa on Sunday.
Ahead of these matches, Yorke hit out at Ten Hag and Bruno Fernandes as Man Utd are “just going to get worse”.
“Bruno Fernandes is the captain, and I think if things are good, then everybody wants to be the leader,” Yorke said in an interview with Prime Casino.
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“But we find out people’s character when things are tough. You see the real characters, the real fighters and winners, who are leaders in the dressing room. That’s when you see another side to people, when it’s challenging.
“It happens so much at United to really identify who is the leader. That’s why the manager is being questioned, because is he trusting the players to go out and lead in the way he expects?
“You talk about building a culture, an environment of performance. I’m not sure that’s the case at United anymore. I can’t see us getting out of this hole.
“I really want us to, and I would love us to, but you can’t help but think this is just going to get worse. We thought this manager was supposed to take us forward, but we’re heading in the wrong direction, very quickly.”
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Yorke has also revealed a “solution” for Ten Hag with Man Utd “so far off it”.
“We are so far off. We’re in a bad spot. But even with all that is happening, if I was Ten Hag, all you have to do is win the games that are winnable,” Yorke added.
“You don’t have to beat Liverpool – although we’d like to – but you can’t have Bournemouth, Southampton and Tottenham running riot. If you win those games, I think everyone will say you’re making progress and getting closer.
“But when you lose to the top boys and the bottom teams, you’ve not got a leg to stand on. The trick in management is to beat the teams around you and buy yourself time.
“Beat Tottenham, Palace and Brighton, you’re in a position where you don’t need to ask for time. But he’s not done that. That’s his solution – beat those teams. Don’t ask him to do miracles, just beat the teams around you.”
