Rotten top’s making Red Devils flops
1992 after successive woeful defeats. Not since 1960-61 have United conceded at least six goals in their first two matches of a top-flight term.
After this disgrace, Neville (below) pulled no punches and said: “I thought Manchester United would do better but they have been mauled, bullied, messed about with like you wouldn’t believe. There’s nowhere to hide.
“Ten Hag has picked the smallest team he could hoping they would outplay Brentford. You have to deal with the physical side of the Premier League.
“Manchester United have never been 4-0 down in the Premier League at this stage in a match. I think United thought they would just come and play better football but it doesn’t work like that.
“If you’d said to me before the game Brentford might score from a free-kick, I would have said ‘yeah’.
“It sounds very 80s but you need that fight.
“Especially here at Brentford.
“All the things I was told as a youngster ring true. There’s been no response from United.
“They have proved under three different managers they don’t work as hard as the teams they are playing against.
“For Man Utd, if you thought it couldn’t get any lower – it just has.”
And Ten Hag added “I feel sorry for the fans – we let them down. The players have to take responsibility on the pitch. And that’s what we didn’t do.
“It is my responsibility to give an explanation. It is clear the performance was really poor. It is about taking responsibility on the pitch. We had to deal with the disappointment and bring the belief on the pitch.
“You have to be ready for a game and be ready for the battle as individuals and as a team. It is clear we need players but I don’t want to think about that. The good players we had should have been better.
“I hoped for a better start, but still I have to believe as I have seen good things, but two games from now are disappointing.”
It doesn’t get any easier with arch-rivals Liverpool next up aiming to heap on more unwanted, unwelcome history.