Former Chelsea manager and Ballon d’Or winner Ruud Gullit did not hold back at Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag after a disappointing 1-1 draw with FC Twente in the 2024-25 Europa League opener.
Speaking on talkSPORTS, Gullit, who won the 1987 Ballon d’Or, said Erik ten Hag must have lost clues on how to turn around Man United’s misfortunes after the draw against FC Twente.
According to him, the Dutch compatriot spoke to Alejandro Garnacho multiple times before bringing on the player amidst the team’s dismal performance in the match.
Gullit also questioned the amount of money the former Ajax boss has spent on transfers since he became United’s manager but is still far from optimal benchmarks.
“I saw Erik ten Hag speaking to Garnacho all the time during the match. The only thing a player is 0thinking during a moment like that is Dude, leave me alone,” he said.
“How many millions has Erik ten Hag in his team so far? I’m not surprised by the football Manchester United is playing, ” he added.
FC Twente equalized after Alejandro Garnacho came on
Manchester United were leading FC Twente by a goal to nil when Ten Hag brought on Alejandro Garnacho for Amad Diallo in the 67th minute.
Despite taking the lead, the team struggled with frozen attacking attempts and could not find a breakthrough. Apparently, the Dutch tactician brought on the Argentine youngster to spice up the attack and possibly find a second goal and secure the lead.
However, a minute after Garnacho came on, Christian Eriksen, who gave United the lead, was dispossessed in the team’s half, leading to a 68th-minute equalizer from Dutch forward Sam Lammers.
Lammers’ goal was all FC Twente needed to secure a crucial point against the Red Devils at Old Trafford. To Gullit, Erik ten Hag looked literally clueless in the match. Alejandro Garnacho made little or no impact after coming on despite him having words with the player severally before the substitution.
Also, Gullit has a less optimistic view of the Dutchman’s chances in the United dugout, especially given what he has spent since becoming Manchester United manager.
How much has Erik ten Hag spent as Manchester United manager?
From the records, Erik ten Hag has splashed a total of £560m on transfers as Man United manager. A further breakdown shows he has signed 20 elite footballers across the five transfer windows he has taken charge of. This means the 54-year-old has signed at least four players every transfer window.
His latest additions to the squad this summer are Leny Yoro (£54m), Manuel Ugarte (£47m), Joshua Zirkzee (£41m), Matthijs de Ligt (£31m), and Noussair Mazraoui (£12m). Despite the army of new additions under his watch, the team has been largely inconsistent both in domestic and European football, and this has continued to mar his credibility among fans.
Manchester United’s poor European record under Erik ten Hag
Manchester United have endured a torrid stint in Europe under Erik ten Hag. Statistics show the club have managed only one win in their last nine games in European competitions since April 13, 2033 when they drew 2-2 with Sevilla in Europa League quarterfinal first leg.
After the draw against the six-time Europa League winners, they lost the reverse fixture against the same opponents and receded consecutive defeats against Bayern Munich and Galatasaray.
On October 24, 2024, they broke the chain of defeats with a narrow 1-0 Champions League group stage win over FC Copenhagen and that would be their only win in nine consecutive matches.
The reverse fixture against the Danish outfit ended in a 4-3 defeat before a 3-3 draw against Galatasaray, and then a 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich at home.
Erik ten Hag blasts Man United players for abysmal performance against FC Twente
Erik ten Hag refused to spare the hints as he lashed out at his players for the draw against FC Twente. Speaking with TNT after the game, the Dutchman said the team kept the opponents alive and gave away the goal easily.
“We kept them alive when 1-0 up controlling the game and then you have to be consistent and keep going in the second half, we dropped the level and gave a goal away.
“We didn’t finish it off, we had to go for the second goal and they stay alive and we get punished with a mistake from ourselves.
‘‘The goal it’s a team, the player of Twente can dribble over the whole pitch without being stopped but then can’t give a goal away like this.”
Away from the deadlock, Ten Hag will hope to return the team to winning ways when they play Tottenham Hotspur in their next match in the Premier League on Sunday, September 29, 2024.
Also, they will return to Europa League action after the Tottenham match with an away fixture against FC Porto on Thursday, October 3, 2024.
