Former England international Gary Lineker has said Manchester United does not have a fixed playing style under manager Erik ten Hag. He believes that the Red Devils’ constantly changing playing style makes it impossible to buy the right kind of player.
Manchester United Going Through Their Worst-Ever Premier League Campaign
The 2023-24 Premier League campaign was a massive disappointment for 20-time English champions Manchester United. They had amassed their worst-ever total of nine points after seven Premier League matches and eventually finished in eighth place in the rankings. Had United not won the FA Cup, they would not be playing in Europe this season.
The club made some big signings over the summer, hoping to fare considerably better this time around. However, that has not been the case. After seven Premier League games this term, United has eight points to their name. Their worst-ever haul has seen them slip to 14th place in the league rankings.
Gary Lineker Identifies Key Problem with Man Utd
Much has been said about Ten Hag and Man Utd over the past few weeks, and now, Lineker has chimed in, offering a fresh perspective.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football, Lineker said (via talkSPORT):
“I think it’s very difficult to buy a player for Erik ten Hag because he plays a different system all the time. Sometimes they’re counter-attacking, sometimes they’ll play a little bit of a high press, sometimes they won’t.
“We’ve said it many times on here, ‘What is their style of football? What is their identity?’ I don’t think you have that. Now if you were buying for, let’s say, Ange Postecoglou [Tottenham boss] or Brighton who do really well, or Brentford or someone like that, those kind of clubs… Or Manchester City…”
He continued:
“They have a way of playing that very rarely varies, they don’t go from being a counter-attacking team for three weeks and then being a team on the front foot for three weeks.
“But you tell me, what is Erik ten Hag’s type of player? Can you answer that? I can’t. So I think primarily that is the problem.”
Manchester United played out a goalless draw with Aston Villa in their previous Premier League outing on October 6. The draw at Villa Park extended their winless run to five games in all competitions.
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