Manchester United fans would have entered this season full of hope, but they have quickly been brought down back to earth after the club's opening fixture in the Premier League.
The home side were completely outplayed by Brighton at Old Trafford this afternoon, losing 2-1 after a disastrous performance.
Graham Potter's men were certainly the better team, especially in that first half. They played United off the pitch, most notably for their second goal of the afternoon.
IT'S TWO!! Pascal Groß is there again!! 2️⃣
Brighton are currently blowing Man Utd away!! 😲 pic.twitter.com/HoHn9pxyVL— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 7, 2022
Manchester United would attempt a comeback in the second half, with Cristiano Ronaldo being introduced off the bench not long after the interval.
However, a disastrous piece of goalkeeping that led to an own goal aside, they never really looked like getting back into the game.
Sky Sports pundits hammer Manchester United
This fixture would have served Erik ten Hag with a timely reminder of just how much work there is to be done at Old Trafford. The team looked all over the place once again this afternoon, with little signs of the tactical shift that many expected under the new manager.
With a few weeks remaining in the transfer window, it's clear that some major upgrades are needed.
Speaking on Sky Sports after the game, the punditry trio of Roy Keane, Karen Carney, and Micah Richards were all very critical of the approach of the Manchester United players.
Keane: United were better in the second half, as you'd expect. They had to throw things at Brighton being 2-0 down, Ronaldo came on which is a huge gamble when he's not fit. That didn't really work out.
You were hoping for more from Manchester United, but there were the same shortcomings from them out of possession. They weren't good enough, giving up bad goals...
That's not going to change. You see here they're in a good position and it's not the end of the world. All of a sudden there's a quick one-two and three players are out of the game. Give credit to Brighton, but there's no pressure on the ball...
United left too many spaces, too many gaps, and the top teams will punish you...
Carney: They got bullied Man United. [Moises] Caicedo, if he was in a Man United shirt this wouldn't have happened to them...
They get to the penalty area, nobody gets tight to him, Shaw and Maguire are in no man's land. De Gea will be unhappy to palm it to a Brighton players. It was poor.
Richards: They have no discipline. You see Fred here and he thinks it's the right thing to do (covering at the back post). If you watch him at the back post, he has a look but never once sees what's behind him. If you're going to cover in that position, you don't need just run to that place for the sake of it.
You've got to be aware of what's around you and that's constantly costing Manchester United.
Very few players in the Manchester United team put in a performance of note, with the midfield a particular area of concern.
Both Fred and Scott McTominay looked well off the pace throughout the game, hammering home the club's failings in their inability to bring in a new central midfielder this summer.
Roy Keane singled that pair out for criticism, saying they are not good enough to help the club compete at the top level.
"Fred and McTominay not good enough" 😬
Roy Keane says there are 'big problems' at Man Utd and Erik ten Hag will need to recruit to get them competing at the top again 🔊 pic.twitter.com/B3OeRtlsHm— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 7, 2022
The decision making from midfield, and particularly Fred because I've been going on about him for a long time, Fred and McTominay are not good enough. They won't get Man United back competing at the top.
We see it week in, week out. They're not up to it...
There are huge issues going on there. That's why we talk about it being a rebuilding job. Ten Hag needs time. It was a really bad start for him today, but give the man a chance. Give him money, he's got to recruit.
We mentioned before the game about the culture, there is issues upstairs and there was more protests from the supporters at the club today.
Big, big problems at Manchester United.
Manchester United will continue their campaign with a trip to Brentford next weekend, followed by the visit of Liverpool to Old Trafford in gameweek 3.
They will certainly need some major improvements on today's performance if they are to secure positive results in those fixtures.
SEE ALSO: Roy Keane Thinks Ten Hag Has Huge Task On His Hands To Change Attitudes At Man United
