Man Utd fans sympathize with coach Ten Hag

Although the home team lost to Brighton in round 5 of the Premier League, thousands of Man Utd fans still stayed at the stadium to applaud when coach Erik ten Hag entered the tunnel.

A video from the stands shows most of the fans standing up and applauding the Dutch coach after Man Utd lost 1-3 to Brighton on September 16.

The actions of the audience are not new at Old Trafford, as they have been with recent managers such as Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer despite not achieving good results. But this is also contrary to what happened during and immediately after the match.

Coach Erik ten Hag during the match between Man Utd and Brighton at Old Trafford, Manchester, round five of the Premier League on September 16, 2023. Photo: ManUtd — Coach Erik ten Hag during the match between Man Utd and Brighton at Old Trafford, Manchester, round five of the Premier League on September 16, 2023. Photo: *ManUtd*

After the final whistle, the Old Trafford stadium was filled with thousands of empty seats, and many whistled and booed. When coach Ten Hag took off striker Rasmus Hojlund to bring on Anthony Martial, many people also whistled and protested.

The 53-year-old still had the support of the audience, as Man Utd played well in the first half but squandered chances and then conceded. Manager Roberto De Zerbi also said that Brighton was surprised by Man Utd's approach to the match, when the team switched from the familiar 4-3-3 formation to 4-4-2 with a diamond midfield. However, there were many situations where Man Utd players played out of sync, while Brighton took advantage of every opportunity to score three goals.

Old Trafford audience applauds Ten Hag — Old Trafford audience applauded Ten Hag.

Former striker Alan Shearer also sympathized with Ten Hag, as Man Utd are facing many problems at the top. "Whether the Glazers sell Man Utd or not, that question will affect the team's performance on the pitch," said the Premier League's top scorer. "Ten Hag and the audience need to know what's going on."

The Glazers put United up for sale nearly a year ago, and since then there have been several billionaire bids. The two leading candidates are Britain's richest man Jim Ratcliffe, and Qatari billionaire Jassim Al Thani. But the American owners are reluctant to sell, while the team's results have been inconsistent.

Ten Hag's team will next visit Bayern's Allianz Arena in the first round of the Champions League group stage on the evening of September 20. Three days later, they will have the chance to regain victory in the Premier League when they meet Burnley.

Hoang An

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