Manchester United star takes responsibility for heavy defeat vs Brentford

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JULY 31: Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag looks on after the final whistle during the Pre-Season Friendly match between Manchester United and Rayo Vallecano at Old Trafford on July 31, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JULY 31: Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag looks on after the final whistle during the Pre-Season Friendly match between Manchester United and Rayo Vallecano at Old Trafford on July 31, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

If you though Manchester United’s opening day defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion, at Old Trafford, was bad, things just got worse for Erik ten Hag’s team. Much worse. The Red Devils were handed a 4-0 defeat by Brentford, with the Bees scoring all of their goals by the 35th minute.

Manchester United should be happy that it did not get worse for them. The club had shown so much promise in pre-season but it looks like the wheels are starting to fall off already.

They have lost both their Premier League games this season, till now, and nobody can claim that either of them were the hardest ones on the calendar. Brighton & Hove Albion had finished 9th last season while Brentford were placed 13th. They are decent teams but not ones who should be outplaying Manchester United convincingly, which is what has happened.

David de Gea, who has not hidden from the club’s bad performances in recent years, appears to have taken the responsibility of the heavy defeat against Brentford on his shoulders. The Spaniard did make two key mistakes in the first half of the game which led to goals for the Bees. As reported by the Daily Star, the long-time Manchester United goalkeeper told Sky Sports:

"“I think I cost my team three points today.“It was a poor performance from myself. After the first mistake and then the second, it was very tough and it was a horrible day.”"

De Gea takes responsibility for Manchester United’s heavy defeat against Brentford

It is safe to say that it was a disaster of a result for Manchester United, and De Gea certainly had his part to play in that.

It is clear that Manchester United need to get better and quick, if they are to achieve any kind of success this season.

For that to happen, they need to make quality additions over the summer, while also making sure that the players who are already at the club, improve drastically. It is also about making the right adjustments now and if the results don’t improve over the coming weeks, people might already start to raise questions about Ten Hag’s suitability.

The fact of the matter is that the Dutch manager should be given time to make his mark at Old Trafford but at the same time, he needs to be careful that they are not taking a step back from their previous campaigns, which were big disappointments in themselves.