In a recent episode of the Wrighty’s House podcast, former Arsenal star Ian Wright voiced his discontent with Erik ten Hag’s managerial decisions following Manchester United’s unexpected 1-2 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion.
Last weekend, Manchester United suffered a surprising loss at the hands of Brighton in the Premier League, with a goal from young talent Amad Diallo in the 60th minute not enough to secure any points. Brighton’s Danny Welbeck and Joao Pedro were instrumental in their victory at The Amex.
During the match, Ten Hag utilized all five of his substitutions in an attempt to salvage the game, but his tactical changes failed to turn things around. The Dutch manager faced criticism for his approach, particularly for the decision to replace captain Bruno Fernandes with Scott McTominay in the 79th minute.
Previously, former United defender Rio Ferdinand had expressed frustration over Ten Hag’s decision to substitute Harry Maguire for Matthijs de Ligt, which led to a late goal conceded.
Wright expressed his bewilderment at Ten Hag’s decision to remove Fernandes, questioning the logic behind the move:
“There were so many issues in that game that I can’t understand or see the reasoning behind them. For example, I don’t get what Ten Hag was thinking when he took Fernandes off. Why did he do that? When Fernandes was taken off, I saw him laughing at Ten Hag’s decision, as if to say, ‘What on earth is going on? I can’t believe this.’ I imagine that’s what he was thinking. If Manchester United wants to win, they need to keep players with qualities like Fernandes,” Wright commented on the Wrighty’s House podcast.
Manchester United now has 3 points from their first 2 Premier League matches of the 2024/25 season, placing them 11th in the standings. This weekend, they will return to Old Trafford to face their biggest rivals, Liverpool, in the third round of the Premier League.