Ten Hag says Man Utd squad ‘AREN’T good enough’ as pundits fume ‘if Corrie wrote this script it wouldn’t be believable’
ERIK TEN HAG slammed Manchester United's players as "not good enough" after their humiliating defeat to Bournemouth.
The Red Devils were thumped 3-0 at Old Trafford by the Cherries in a blow to their top-four hopes, piling pressure on their under-fire manager.
The visitors took the lead early on into the match as Dominic Solanke slotted past Andre Onana.
Bournemouth continued to impress after half-time as Philip Billing doubled the lead.
Marcos Senesi completed the rout in the 73rd minute, however, it could have been worse for United as Dango Ouattara had a goal ruled out by VAR.
It was United’s ELEVENTH defeat of the season as Ten Hag was taunted with chants of ‘You’re getting sacked in the morning’ by Cherries fans.
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After the match, the manager was left seething as he slammed his players for their performance.
He said: "You have to be at your best in every game, starting with focus.
"When you start like we did, you get killed. They are good opponents but we have to do better.
"As a squad, we are not good enough to be consistent.
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"We know we are able to do it, we showed it in the week. We have to leave this behind but we have to talk about it.
"You need consistency, we can play a very good game against many opponents, we are able to do it but you have to do it every third day.
"Get it right and the demands are of a certain standard. We have to go to higher standards to deliver it every third day."
United legend Gary Neville branded the result “abysmal” and called the club "consistently inconsistent".
November’s manager of the month Ten Hag took some of the blame for his team’s dismal start, which saw them fall behind inside five minutes.
He said: “We have to always be ready for the game, so I have to take responsibility for that.
“I have to prepare the team so they are ready. I’m very disappointed the way we started and we have to be better.”
Jamie Redknapp laid into United as he analysed the performance on Sky Sports, claiming it is so unbelievable what has happened to tge club that the writers of Coronation Street would think it far-fetched.
He said: "I genuinely don't know what to think about Manchester United anymore.
"How can they go from the manager and centre-back winning player and manager of the month, goal of the month with Garnacho, and then lose to Bournemouth 3-0.
"That cannot happen. It cannot happen when you are Manchester United and playing in front of those fans.
"There are so many different factors, I get the off-field problems and I get that the owners aren't right and I get all that.
"But when it comes down to it, that team should have enough to go out there and produce a performance and get a win.
"It is a complete mess that club.
"The players they have bought in are not good enough, they have not affected the team.
"I said a couple of weeks ago, they are a little bit like Coronation Street, but I think if you threw the writers some of these plots [from United] they would not think they are believable.
"It is just becoming an absolute joke in this club and it should not be like that."
Fans were left with little to cheer, although there was some celebration when Anthony Martial was subbed off.
Supporters had already been left fuming after seeing that the French forward was named in the starting eleven.
The team was booed off at full-time, to which Ten Hag admitted that he "understood" the reaction.
He told BBC Sport: "I understand. Disappointed and frustrated - we are as well.
"But we should do better.
"We have to show it every game, not from one game to another game [having] so big difference in levels."
To make matters worse for the Dutch manager, he will be without captain Bruno Fernandes for the Premier League clash against Liverpool.
The Portuguese international picked up a yellow card, his fifth of the season, meaning he is suspended for the trip to Anfield.
Fernandes spoke after the game as he admitted that the team's levels were not up to standard.
Speaking to the media, the midfielder said: "We lacked many things and that's why we don't get the result today.
"Everything was lower than the levels in the game before and that's why when you play teams like Bournemouth, who are really aggressive and on the front foot, they press you, and you think it's going to be easy, you get these kind of results.
"Everything was underperforming. Creativity, movement and arriving with bodies into the box.
"Most of the time we arrived with one or two players, but in the last game we had more getting in the box to score a goal.
"Today, it was, as I said, underperforming. We just lack consistency and that's a big part of football.
"It's really important to be consistent every game and we're not being."
United were booed off at half and full-time, while Old Trafford was half-empty by the end.
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But Fernandes insisted: “That’s normal.
"They’re fans of Manchester United and are not used to this.”
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