Manager fumes as slack United lose their focus

THERE will have been plenty to occupy Erik ten Hag’s mind on the 17-hour flight from here before Manchester United arrive home today.

Up to half-time of their 2-2 draw against Aston Villa at the Optus Stadium, United’s tour of Thailand and Australia had continued to run smoothly.

Two goals ahead against their Premier League rivals in the wind and rain on a pudding of a pitch, Ten Hag’s side were comfortably on course to maintain their 100 per cent record in pre-season.

Then United switched off and let in Villa. ‘Unacceptable,’ said Ten Hag. Villa were well on top long before the United boss changed all 10 players in the 67th minute, and Calum Chambers completed the comeback with a headed equaliser in stoppage time.

It was a wake-up call for United. There was a danger of people getting carried away over the progress they have made after the wins over Liverpool, Melbourne Victory and Crystal Palace.

None of those opponents fielded as strong a team as Villa, so this was a reality check for United.

‘That’s what I just said in the dressing room,’ said Ten Hag. ‘A drop of focus is unacceptable but I’m happy because now I can tell them it cannot happen.

‘It’s not possible that you go 2-0 and then throw it away. We have to decrease the mistakes. We scored two great goals and then our focus dropped. I don’t want to make excuses about the pitch or the weather. They have to perform and we didn’t in the second half.’

When John McGinn fouled Diogo Dalot in the second half, the United full-back slid 10 yards on his backside in the mud. The wind was so strong late on that the plastic chairs used by the substitutes began blowing across the pitch.

United were well on the back foot by then, after leading through an excellent team goal finished by Jadon Sancho and a Matty Cash own goal. It was Sancho’s third on tour and he has been one of United’s brightest players along with Anthony Martial, Fred and Dalot. However, Donny van de Beek again struggled after he was handed a rare start.

Harry Maguire was booed by a few fans before kick-off, but that was the end of it and the United captain made a goal-saving interception to deny Villa substitute Leon Bailey in the second half.

Bailey led the fightback with an excellent solo effort and then delivered a corner for Chambers’ equaliser at the death.

‘I was frustrated at half-time and we had to iron a few things out,’ said Villa boss Steven Gerrard. ‘The second half was totally different and I thought we could have scored another couple.’