Man Utd woes continue as Erik ten Hag’s side thrashed by Burnley in friendly

Football Digest: Man Utd with work to do after sluggish start

Manchester United’s early-season woes continued on Wednesday as Burnley thrashed Erik ten Hag’s side in a behind-closed-doors friendly. There is a looming sense of a crisis over how United have started the new campaign, and the 3-0 defeat to the newly-promoted outfit won’t help simmer the discourse.

The Red Devils received criticism en masse for their performance in their 1-0 win over Wolves on Premier League opening weekend.

The hosts were overrun at Old Trafford and escaped with three points through Raphael Varane’s header after conceding big chances and falling on the right side of a late penalty decision.

But problems within Ten Hag’s ranks didn’t disappear against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, falling to a 2-0 defeat via Pape Matar Sarr’s second-half opener and Lisandro Martinez’s own goal.

The climax of the Mason Greenwood saga blowing up in United’s faces this week and ongoing speculation about the Glazers’ potential sale has intensified frustration around the club.

So emerging leaks from midweek preparations for Saturday’s clash with Nottingham Forest will come as another unwelcome blow.

United lost 3-0 to Burnley in a private friendly at Carrington on Wednesday despite fielding several first-team names.

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It’s been claimed that Jonny Evans, Hannibal Mejbri, Alvaro Fernandez, Scott McTominay, Anthony Martial, Donny van de Beek, and Facundo Pellistri all started the match.

But United were humiliated by Manchester City icon Vincent Kompany’s side just three days before Forest visit Old Trafford.

Interestingly, five of the seven reported starters are either expected to leave before the summer deadline or have been in the shop window, suggesting they don’t fit in Ten Hag’s plans.

And Evans is only with United on a short-term contract, although Ten Hag has suggested that he wants the experienced defender to remain for the rest of the season.

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