Man Utd under Ten Hag are the 'worst in Premier League history'

Tom Weber

• Updated: 16 Sept 2024 15:43 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United's approach to the game under Erik ten Hag is the worst in the club's Premier League history, according to club legend Andy Cole.

The Dutchman has come under heavy fire over the past 12 months as Man Utd have massively underperformed. His first season at Old Trafford was a promising one, but the only saving grace of last term was the triumph over Man City in the FA Cup final.

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Man Utd recorded their worst-ever finish in the Premier League era and crashed out of the Champions League at the group stage in embarrassing fashion after defeats to Galatasaray and Copenhagen.

It came as a surprise when the club's new INEOS bosses decided to keep Ten Hag on board and hand him a new contract in the summer. It is fair to say that the signs so far this season have not been particularly promising.

Cole slams Ten Hag

The Red Devil scraped past Fulham on opening day before getting largely outplayed by and losing to Brighton and rivals Liverpool. The latest outing against Southampton at the weekend saw another strange performance.

The final 3-0 scoreline in favour of Man Utd papered over the fact that the promoted outfit had taken the game to the visitors in the opening 30 minutes and could have stormed into a comfortable and thoroughly deserved lead with better finishing.

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Man Utd will have to improve if they want to stand a chance of returning to the Champions League or challenging for domestic titles. Indeed, according to club legend Andy Cole, the style of play under Erik ten Hag is the club's most unimpressive since the Premier League came into existence.

"We are a million miles away from winning the Premier League," he told beIN Sports. "When talking about the current manager, this was a person to take us forward, and we thought after the first season this was the guy.

"What has happened, yes we have managed to win the FA Cup, but the identity in terms of how we play, where we finish, goals conceded, is the worst in our history since the Premier League started in 1992."