Carragher: 'Man Utd have no identity under Ten Hag'

Former Liverpool centre-back Jamie Carragher believes Erik ten Hag has failed to create any identity for Man Utd in his 18 months in the job.

"Nobody here can explain how United play and what they tried to do against City," the former Liverpool defender told Sky Sports. "Ten Hag has been at the club for nearly 18 months. We saw what Unai Emery did at Aston Villa, or how Ange Postecoglou improved Tottenham in a shorter period of time. I don't need Ten Hag to win every week for United. But at least I want to know what they're going to do every time I watch a game. We don't know that yet. Can anyone tell me what United are going to do when they have the ball?"

Ten Hag was criticized for not creating a clear playing style for Man Utd. Photo: Reuters — Ten Hag was criticized for not creating a clear playing style for Man Utd. Photo: *Reuters*

Last season, Man Utd beat Man City 2-1 at Old Trafford, won the League Cup - Ten Hag's first trophy - and finished the Premier League season in third place. However, the "Red Devils" seem to have declined this season despite continuing to bring in expensive new players. They have lost half of their matches after 10 rounds, including a 0-3 defeat in the Manchester derby last weekend.

After 10 matches, Man Utd have only scored 11 goals, equal to Erling Haaland alone. They are eight points behind fourth-placed Liverpool and 11 points behind leaders Tottenham. Some "Red Devils" supporters blame the Glazers for delaying the sale of the club, or behind-the-scenes troubles such as Antony's alleged assault on his girlfriend or Jadon Sancho's conflict with Ten Hag.

Carragher also believes that the club's problems during the ownership change process affected Ten Hag, but does not think this is a reason that can be used to justify the poor performance of the Old Trafford team. According to the British press, the Glazer family is preparing to sell 25% of the club's shares to billionaire Jim Ratcliffe - who will be given the right to manage the team's professional activities.

"Every time they lose, people complain about the owner. Of course, that doesn't work and the fans are unhappy. But what I want to talk about is the way of playing. What Ten Hag does on the training pitch from Monday to Friday is not related to the presence of Jim Ratcliffe. What does he want the team to do? If they want to play from the back, like the big teams, what will Man Utd do with the ball?", he said.

The 45-year-old even suspects that Man Utd are trying to avoid being comprehensively defeated by strong opponents. Carragher believes Man Utd play like a weak team, often using long passes and counter-attacking. He also questions Ten Hag's method of working with new players.

Ten Hag’s Old Trafford signings have also failed to impress. Antony, the club’s second-most expensive player at $99 million, failed to make an impact when he came on as a second-half substitute in the derby. Mason Mount, who joined from Chelsea in the summer for $73 million, was on the bench for the third consecutive game and has been a lacklustre performer since joining United, while Fiorentina loanee Sofyan Amrabat was substituted at half-time.

Meanwhile, Casemiro has struggled to find form since his $73 million move from Real Madrid last summer. The Brazilian midfielder was absent on Sunday and Carragher said he was one of the worst signings United have ever made.

Sharing this view, former Man Utd defender Gary Neville said that his old club gave too much power to Ten Hag in the transfer process. "They let a coach from elsewhere decide the transfer policy while the club should have managed it. Man Utd bought eight players from the Dutch league. Basically, that is the league that Ten Hag understands and trusts," he commented.

Vinh San (according to Daily Mail )

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