Manchester United have had a week to forget with their glaring weaknesses highlighted at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.
Erik ten Hag has work to do after a meek win over Wolves failed to paper over the cracks. Well, Spurs ensured those frailties were duly exposed with a 2-0 victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Most of the narrative since Monday has been about the balance of United’s midfield. Is Mason Mount a suitable fit to play alongside Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro? It’s early days but the jury is out.
Against Spurs, they were overrun, with the athleticism of Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr, in particular, dominant. United looked soft and leggy, by comparison, with big holes on offer for the opposition to exploit.
And yet, United could and should’ve changed the narrative before Sarr netted from close range. They had their chances and competed in the first half before their standards dropped after the break.
Ten Hag can be scrutinised over the balance of his midfield. He can be judged for his transfer decisions, with around £400million spent across three windows.
There is no doubt that he is being let down by his forwards, in particular his wingers. He has placed faith in Antony and Alejandro Garnacho at the start of the season, which hasn’t been afforded to Jadon Sancho, and they haven’t repaid him.
With United struggling for goals, the wide men haven’t stepped up, Marcus Rashford aside. It was poor planning for United to start the season without a centre-forward and the expectations now on Rasmus Hojlund are even greater without him kicking a ball.
Looking at the teams that United want to catch, Manchester City and Arsenal, they have goal-scorers across the team. How many times did Bukayo Saka or Gabriel Martinelli bail the Gunners out of trouble last year?
United, by comparison, have seen very little return on their £158m investment in Antony and Sancho. The latter has fallen further down the pecking order, behind Garnacho, who only made five Premier League starts last season.
Ten Hag has seen enough from the teenager to dislodge the big-money signing from Borussia Dortmund. He is edging closer to being permanently branded as an expensive addition that has failed to deliver at Old Trafford. He isn’t the first.
Sancho’s signing can’t be pinned on Ten Hag but he has not improved under the Dutchman. The United boss can feel disappointed with Antony’s output given the faith that has been placed in him.
Quite simply, United need more. Ten Hag is not blameless in all of this, he will live and die by his decisions, ultimately. But he can certainly feel aggrieved that players who cost so much are delivering such little return for him.
United’s top-four rivals have world-class wide attackers. Ten Hag does not currently appear to have that luxury despite United’s significant outlay.