These two players face criticism from Paul Scholes after the loss to Brighton!
These two players face criticism from Paul Scholes after the loss to Brighton! Paul Scholes criticized Scott McTominay and Fred after Manchester United’s first Premier League game, a disappointing loss to Brighton.
Erik ten Hag’s first game in charge of United was a nightmare. His team, the Red Devils, lost 2-1 at Old Trafford. In the first half, Pascal Gross scored two goals in nine minutes to give Brighton a commanding lead. The home team was booed off at half-time.
Manchester United’s Performance
United, which finished sixth last season, got better after half-time, but even Alexis Mac Allister’s unfortunate own goal wasn’t enough to help them win. It was Brighton’s first win at the Theatre of Dreams and a downer for Manchester United as Ten Hag took over.
Scholes’ Criticism and More
Scholes said that United’s performance in the first half was “shambolic,” and he singled out McTominay and Fred for criticism.
Scholes said to Premier League productions, “It was a shocking start for Man United and the first half was shambolic really. The signs were there right from the first few minutes that this was going to be bad.”
The ex-England midfielder then had some terrible things to say about McTominay and Fred.
He also said, “McTominay was always trying to run with the ball, ridiculous. The quality in the middle of the pitch was really poor. I was happy he didn’t get sent off [for a high challenge] but I think he was slightly lucky. Again, he’s running with the ball, absolutely ridiculous. It could easily have been a red card. The quality in the middle of the pitch was nowhere near good enough but we’ve seen that for the last few years with these two players.”
“With Fred and McTominay, he [Ten Hag] is going to have to go with just one of them but even one of them is probably too many. Fred gives the ball away all the time and McTominay’s trying to run with the ball constantly and then gives it away. Pass it to your best players! It’s not that difficult. It’s criminal on a day like today.”
Ten Hag’s Disappointment
Ten Hag was upset with how the game turned out after it was over.
He told Sky Sports: “It is definitely a set back, a real disappointment, but we have to deal with it. I knew from the start that it wouldn’t be easy, it’s a process and takes time, but we don’t have time. We have to win games and we should have done better.”
“I analyse it and it was unnecessary. We gave too many easy balls away and the organisation was a big mistake. It was not the way we made it out, we made it clear how to deal with certain situations when we drop in. but that happens, we have to analyse and take the lessons from it.”
When Manchester United goes to Brentford next week, Ten Hag will be hoping to see a response from his team. Brighton will be back in action against Newcastle United.