MANCHESTER UNITED are no different under Erik ten Hag than they were with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or Jose Mourinho in charge, according to Jamie Carragher.
The Red Devils have had a poor start to the season, sitting eighth in the Premier League and flattering to deceive even in victory.
Ten Hag, 53, has struggled to replicate the sort of football that he had his Ajax team playing.
And many of his signings have failed to make a big impact, with previously discarded players like Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay instead returning to the fold.
In his Telegraph column, Liverpool legend Carragher has claimed that it is now time to start questioning the United boss.
He wrote: “Ten Hag has signed sixteen players at a cost of £400million since July, 2022. By any measure – and no matter how unpopular the club’s owners – that is enough for a manager to radically redesign a team.
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“If anything, Ten Hag has been given too much power and control over the club’s transfer policy because the recruitment has been so poor.
“Given so many of the additions were hand-picked by Ten Hag – he has coached a lot of them at his previous clubs – the most surprising aspect is how little impact they have had on revolutionising the team’s style.”
Carragher, 45, then added: “The idea must have been to impose the lauded Dutch model of possession football, otherwise what was the point of headhunting him? United’s board seemed to be recognising that the least their fans expect is to be front-footed and exciting.
“No-one was demanding Ten Hag create a title winning side in one or even two years, but it was reasonable to assume the United line-up would be clearly distinguishable from the tactical set-up of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Jose Mourinho.
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“The most damning criticism is that they are not. Their game plan is virtually identical.”
Since losing to Galatasaray on October 3 – the Turkish side’s first ever win on English soil – United have strung together three unconvincing wins in a row.
First there was the 2-1 triumph over Brentford, in which McTominay saved the day with two stoppage time goals.
Then there was the 2-1 triumph at Sheffield United, who are winless and had lost 8-0 to Newcastle in their previous home game.
Most recently was a 1-0 home win over Copenhagen, who had a last-gasp penalty saved by Andre Onana.
Next up, the Red Devils host champions Manchester City on Sunday.
Should Pep Guardiola’s side win, they will already go nine points above Ten Hag’s men.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
