According to reports, after their humiliating 4-0 defeat to Brentford, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag made his players run 13.8 km. Sky Sports' Kaveh Solehkol tweeted this information on Sunday.
The distance - 13.8 km - is not a randomly chosen figure. Apparently, this is the difference between the distance covered by Brentford and Manchester United in their match.
United were humbled by Brentford at the American Express Community Stadium on Friday. The team produced arguably their most hapless display and were thoroughly dominated in the first half.
Similar issues in midfield and defence that have been apparent since a long time were exposed. The team conceded as many as four first-half goals, three of which were direct results of individuals errors.
The last goal from Bryan Mbuemo came as a result of an excellent counter attack that opened up the Red Devils’ defense in just two passes. Ten Hag appeared distraught on the United bench, and there was no response from the team after conceding the goals.
Ten Hag reportedly was also disappointed with the lack of running in the team. The team ran a total of 95.6km in the 4-0 defeat.
Manchester United suffer arguably their worst loss of recent times
Any sort of optimism surrounding the Erik ten Hag era at the club has been blown away in just two games. Cristiano Ronaldo looked a dejected figure and did not greet supporters or even his manager after the full-time whistle.
The Portuguese seems uninterested and whether it is the right idea to keep a player who does not want to stay remains to be seen.
The lack of character shown and the inability to mount any sort of comeback despite being dominated across areas of the pitch made for terrible viewing for the fans. The defence was distraught and seemed on the verge of losing its plot every time Brentford got on the ball.
In attack, Manchester United were against a defence that had a low block but had no problem in marauding forward when the chances came. The lack of patience, crispness in passing, and a sheer lack of game sense allowed Brentford to easily hold off the few attempts that United carved out through the game.
There is little doubt that the team needs a thorough injection of quality. If that does not happen, the season will only get worse from here. United now have to welcome Liverpool at Old Trafford next weekend.