Sport
Jake Brigstock
Sep 02, 2024
PA
It was supposed to be a(nother) new dawn for Manchester United - Erik Ten Hag signed a contract extension after the FA Cup win against Manchester City in May, new investors have started to make their mark with key signings being made in the transfer window and there are grand plans to improve Old Trafford after its well documented state (remember those leaks?).
But on the pitch it's been the same old at the start of the season for the Red Devils who have won one and lost two of their opening three Premier League fixtures with the latest humbling being delivered by arch-rivals Liverpool on September 1.
The stats from Liverpool's 3-0 win at Old Trafford painted a very different picture from the reality of what happened on the pitch as it resembled men against boys and Liverpool could have won by five or six if they took all their chances.
Casemiro made two first-half errors that were not covered by team-mates which led to a brace from Luis Diaz, both of which were assisted by Mohamed Salah, before the break.
Salah then got on the scoresheet himself with a third early in the second half to truly put the game to bed with more than half-an-hour to go.
Just three games in, Ten Hag is under pressure once again despite the recent contract extension.
And a number of football fans have been making the same joke on social media that Pep Guardiola's Manchester City threw the FA Cup final in May to ensure Ten Hag would stay at Manchester United.
One posted a meme with the caption: "Pep lost the FA Cup final to Man United to make sure that Ten Hag stays at the wheel."
Another posted a meme with a similar caption.
And these kept flowing.
Other fans poked fun at or moaned about Ten Hag, with one saying there is "still zero visible identity on the pitch".
One shared a meme of an upset football fan at the prospect Ten Hag is still at Manchester United.
Another posted a screenshot from the FA Cup semi-final between Manchester United and Coventry City last season where Coventry were denied an extra-time stoppage time winner due to a marginal VAR offside call saying "this is the reason Ten Hag still has a job".
One reposted a video of Liverpool fans in the away end at Old Trafford singing "Ten Hag's at the wheel".
And another shared a video of Ten Hag clashing with a reporter in the post-match press conference saying "Erik Ten Hag has completely lost his mind".
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