Sport

Gary Neville says ‘a lot of questions’ need to be asked of Erik ten Hag and his players after ‘disgusting’ Man United performance

Is time running out for ten Hag?

Danny Jones - 30th September 2024

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has called for serious questions to be asked of manager Erik ten Hag and his players after what he labelled an “absolutely disgusting” performance against Tottenham Hotspur.

The club legend turned pundit and entrepreneur was on co-comms for the Premier League meeting which ended up being a 3-0 rout by the visitors which included two goals barely moments into each half and one final blow that saw hordes of fans trudge out of Old Trafford in the 77th minute.

Some chaos thanks to a controversial red card shown to Bruno Fernandes saw the Reds play well over half the 90 with just 10 men, but very few excuses could be made for an all-around shambolic showing by the home team.

Gary Neville and Sky Sports delivered a lengthy post-match review as part of his podcast following the result, in which he said it was nothing short of “disgraceful” and that a serious investigation into the dressing room needs to take place – and soon.

"It was a disgusting performance" 😤

Gary Neville says something is going wrong in the Manchester United dressing room ❌ pic.twitter.com/nxRSRM3cDe
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 30, 2024

The retired right-back began by referencing midfielder Christian Eriksen’s comments after the previous game in the Europa League where United could only muster a draw against FC Twente, especially as a senior figure who is inside the dressing room and has seen it all over a lengthy career.

“When he says that they don’t want it as much as another team in a game of football, that matters more than anything anyone else can say because he’s inside there, he’s seen with his own eyes. We know [the changing room] can’t be great because it transmits out onto the pitch”, began Neville.

The 49-year-old described it as “an absolutely disgusting performance in that first half, in effort, quality, everything you want in a football team […] That really was a nothing [game] and my heart sinks”, adding: “There are going to be a lot of questions to answer for that group and the manager in the next week

Going on to note that from a purely defensive point of view, the players don’t look like they even know when to trigger a press and simply let teams walk through them, particularly for the first goal, he summed it up as a “shocking day all-round, in terms of idea, plan, effort – in terms of everything.

You can see Neville’s full verdict on United‘s calamitous collapse – all 24 minutes and 36 seconds of it – vs Spurs down below.

We think it’s fair to say Gary Neville has A LOT of thoughts on ten Hag and United after that game too.

Neville is just one of many ex-pros, be they United-affiliated or not, that came out to comment on the performance, with countless calling it simply “embarrassing”.

Fellow Sky Sports panellist Jamie Redknapp went so far as to say that the club had hit “rock bottom” and is now “going backwards” under ten Hag, as talk of him potentially getting the sack is now ramping up once again.

While many fans felt first official Chris Kavanagh did let the game get out of control and that the sending-off only added to the chaos, as Neville put it, “that’s only half the story” and the other half was that the team put in “their very worst possible showing.”

What do you reckon: how long does the Dutchman have to turn things around at the Theatre of Dreams or should Man United act now? You can see the highlights from the match down below.