Rabiot, Arnautovic & 5 things that prove Man Utd have entered full banter mode

Manchester United’s miserable summer continued on Sunday as they began their Premier League season with a 2-1 defeat against Brighton.

It was an ominous start for Erik ten Hag’s career in the Old Trafford dugout, with the Seagulls recording their first ever victory at Old Trafford.

This came amid a backdrop of a slow summer transfer window, in which the Red Devils have repeatedly failed to land the top targets.

With a matter of weeks remaining the summer transfer window, there is now a genuine sense of desperation around the club, which suffered its worst Premier League campaign in 2021/22 in terms of points won.

This has only been emphasised by the stories surround Man Utd over the past 24 hours, which have seen them launch into full banter mode. In chronological order, here are five pieces of hard evidence against Ten Hag’s side.

Marko Arnautovic transfer bid

At 33 years old, Marko Arnautovic would never have dreamt of seeing his name linked with a club like Manchester United, yet here he is, apparently in the driving seat to become the Red Devils’ next signing.

Sure, he’s coming off the back of a decent season in Serie A with Bologna, but after departing West Ham in 2019 to go to the Chinese Super League, he has never had the chance at a genuinely massive club.

Yet, when it appeared his career was over, he may get it.

Starting with no striker

Man Utd are in desperate need of offensive reinforcements, as was underlined as Christian Eriksen started as a false 9 against Brighton. Cristiano Ronaldo was not deemed fit enough to start the game and Anthony Martial was injured, yet instead of playing Marcus Rashford as centre-forward, Ten Hag elected to field the playmaker in that role.

Little wonder that there is a degree of urgency in United finding another option to play the centre-forward role.

Fans fighting in the stands

Tensions are running high around Manchester United, as was proven in the stands of Old Trafford on Sunday. This was eptiomised by a video that was posted on social media of two supporters fighting each other in the stands of the historic venue during the Premier League match with Brighton.

Man Utd lose 2-1 to Brighton

Manchester United had never lost to Brighton at home... until Sunday. Not only was the result a bad one, but the performance was also absolutely terrible, particularly in the first half. Although the match finished 2-1, United’s goal came about via a scrappy own goal, which prompted some late nerves among the visiting players.

Nevertheless, Brighton thoroughly deserved their success, which was achieved thanks to a couple of first-half goals from Pascal Gross. The Seagulls looked sharper and hungrier throughout, typifying the Red Devils’ lacklustre performances for months.

Adrien Rabiot transfer links

Juventus midfielder Rabiot is a good player on paper, but could well turn out to be Paul Pogba Mk.II at Old Trafford, where his laidback demeanour is unlikely to be appreciated in these desperate times.

United have pursued Frenkie de Jong for months and have struggled to make progress on signing the Barcelona midfielder, but links with Rabiot, a player out of contract next summer, simply smack of a club that is now desperate to land anyone.