Erik ten Hag has slammed his Manchester United players after their hefty defeat to Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday.
The Dutch coach was on the end of an unbelievable 7-0 thrashing in just his first visit to Merseyside and just his second competitive match against Liverpool as United manager, with the home team only scoring one in the first half before slotting in another six in the second 45.
Despite starting the game ok and showing some semblance of control in the first half, even scoring what they thought was the opener before it was ruled offside, United clearly lost their heads and once the second goal went in, the floodgates were well and truly open.
Speaking to media after the game, ten Hag summed things up by saying that mistakes can happen but “it’s not possible to make the wrong decision in the transition and not match the runs, we didn’t track back. That is, for me, unprofessional”.
🗣️ "It's really unprofessional."
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag labelled his side 'unprofessional' following their 7-0 defeat to Liverpool ⚽ pic.twitter.com/C45RvNmAHp
ten Hag labels his team’s performance as “unprofessional”.
ten Hag went on to repeat his “very unprofessional” verdict in the post-match press conference too, going on to state that “as a team, you have to stick together. That is what we didn’t do. It is a surprise for me, I didn’t see this from my team.”
As per BBC Sport, the 53-year-old conceded that he didn’t recognise his side in the second half: “I don’t think it is us. I don’t think it is Manchester United. It was really bad, really poor.” As well as confessing his anger, he also admitted that this was a “reality check” for the squad, especially after the “resilience” and results they have shown over the last few weeks.
Unsurprisingly, he wasn’t the only one with plenty to say following the battering: captain Bruno Fernandes hinted that the result could be ‘psychologically damaging‘ for the rest of the season Luke Shaw said he and his teammates will be forced to watch back the “embarrassment” in great detail.
Turning to the pundits, club legends Gary Neville and Paul Scholes labelled the game a “shambles” and even “criminal” at times, with the former calling out Bruno’s second-half performance in particular as a “disgrace” — the midfielder playing most of the game stuck out of position on the left wing.
🗣️ "That Man United group of players have been eaten alive in the second half!"
The defeat itself was Man United’s heaviest defeat in any competition since Boxing Day, 1931, when they were hit for seven by Wolves.
On the other hand, many went on to insist that was just a ‘blip’ for United and that they will obviously “bounce back”, but as Micah Richards told Match of the Day, it’s hard to call that result anything other than what it was: a “humiliation”.
Featured Image — beINSPORTS/Sky Sports/Liverpool (via Twitter)
Sport
Everton are reportedly already hoping to sign Jack Grealish from Manchester City permanently
Danny Jones
Everton FC are reportedly already considering signing Jack Grealish on a permanent deal after an impressive start to his spell on loan from Manchester City.
The former Aston Villa talisman has struggled to remain in the starting XI under Pep Guardiola since joining the club in 2021, but since arriving on Merseyside, he’s already been a difference-maker in every match for the Toffees thus far.
Grealish has not only registered four assists in just two starts for Everton but also won the very first player of the month award in the Premier League this season for his contributions.
Safe to say he’s fast made a big impact over in Liverpool – hence why it is now thought that manager David Moyes wants to make his transfer permanent.
Becoming just the 10th Toffee to ever win the accolade, the Birmingham-born creator is now thought to be the primary transfer target, despite the summer window having only recently closed.
He writes that despite the deal between Everton and Man City already including a £50 million option to buy next summer, that number is “not fixed and is more a consequence of accounting than a set price.”
The England international still has two years on his contract in the blue half of Manchester, but the previous valuation (which is half the amount City paid for him in a then record fee for a British player), so it is believed that he could be signed for an even better cut-price offer as his deal runs down.
Put it this way, it looks like the supporters would do just about anything to keep him at the Hill Dickinson.
Jack Grealish giving his shirt to an Everton fan after their brilliant win away at Wolves today.
Bascombe goes on to explain, however, that his salary considerations could be a significant obstacle. Grealish is estimated to be earning approximately £12m a year, which is almost certainly too rich for Everton’s blood.
Taking that into account, it’d be a case of whether or not the Brummy forward would be willing to accept a much lower wage to depart the Etihad Stadium for Everton long-term; alternatively, waiting for him to become a free agent in a few transfer windows’ time would also be an option.
What about you, Blues: would you like to see Jack Grealish stay and fight for his place under Guardiola, or would you understand/support him making his Everton permanent?
Interestingly, there could be yet more shuffling of the pack in the middle of the park for Pep, as a forgotten man is apparently going to be given another chance to revive his City career…
Kalvin Phillips is reportedly set to be reintegrated into the Manchester City squad
Danny Jones
Long-exiled Manchester City player Kalvin Phillips is reportedly on the verge of being reintegrated into Pep Guardiola’s squad this season.
The ex-Leeds United star, who signed for the Blues back in 2022, has still only made just 16 appearances for the club, but could now be eyeing up a potential renaissance.
Man City have made plenty of signings this year, but with a number of outgoings and several injuries in key positions, it looks like there could be an avenue for the one-time England international to fight his way back into the team.
As per Telegraph Sport‘s Mike McGrath, Kalvin Phillips is set to be reintroduced to City’s 25-man Premier League selection; the question is, can he make it into a first-team XI?
🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Kalvin Phillips has chance to resurrect career at the Etihad Stadium after failed loan spells with Ipswich and West Ham
According to McGrath, Phillips will be “given a chance to resurrect his career at the Etihad Stadium” with the meat and potatoes of the 2025/26 campaign still yet to get properly underway.
Now 29, the Yorkshireman is well and truly within the crucial ‘prime’ years as an athlete, and after such an extended period on the sidelines, he’ll be more motivated than anyone to get his career back on track.
The central defensive midfielder – who was formerly considered a key cog in the middle of the park for Leeds – has spent two loan spells away from the Etihad, but neither really worked out for the undeniably talented footballer.
Having joined West Ham for the latter portion of the 23/24 term and spending the last 12 months on loan at struggling Ipswich Town, his time at both clubs was pretty forgettable, punctuated by little more than a couple of unfortunate red cards and more time on the bench.
Speaking to Sky Sports fairly recently, he confessed that the last couple of years have been very difficult and was visibly emotional discussing his struggles since moving to Man City.
It’s also worth noting that Guardiola himself has admitted to feeling “so bad” for Kalvin Phillips’ situation – perhaps why he now looks like he could be given a second chance.
CDM-wise, Rodri and Nico González are considered the go-to options, but Stockport-born Rico Lewis and Mateo Kovačić have also been used in the role.
Once again, although Man City face somewhat of an injury crisis ahead of the Manchester derby this weekend, any prolonged absences could at least see an opportunity arise for the forgotten man.
What do you make of Kalvin Phillips’ chances of being restored to the Manchester City squad and maybe even putting himself back into national team contention ahead of the World Cup?
Danny Jones -
6th March 2023 
