Erik ten Hag was so furious with his Manchester United players after their 4-0 defeat to Brentford he cancelled their day off and ordered the team to report to training on Sunday.
United were blown away in 35 frenetic first-half minutes in west London on Saturday, with a blunder from David de Gea putting the hosts 1-0 up before Eriksen was swarmed inside his own box as Brentford doubled their lead.
Lisandro Martinez was easily out-jumped by Ben Mee from a corner before a slick counter-attack saw Brentford score a fourth through Bryan Mbeumo.
Ten Hag made three changes at the break and conceded afterwards that any of the 11 players who started could have been hauled off, with the manager livid with his team’s lack of fight and cohesion.
According to The Times, Ten Hag ‘tore into’ his players in the dressing room after the game in a furious rant before cancelling their day off.
The squad only arrived back in Manchester on Saturday but were ordered into Carrington for extra training on Sunday, with their manager arriving early in the morning to digest the display.
Defeat to Brentford means Ten Hag is the first United head coach to lose his opening two matches since John Chapman in 1921, while the Red Devils are bottom of the league table for the time in 30 years.
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Speaking about the result after the game, the former Ajax manager said: ‘I think we all have seen the game and I think Brentford were hungrier, one, and two we concede goals in individual mistakes.
‘You can have a good plan but we had to put the plan into the bin.
‘I think it had nothing to do with tactical and that the first two goals, it’s about dealing with the ball, that’s one, and decisions. I think they follow my instructions but they make bad decisions and that’s football, it’s a game of mistakes and you get punished.’
He added: ‘I don’t want to play from the back when it’s not possible. It was naive how we played today. You have to play more direct.
‘We’d attracted them, the space was high on the pitch. Then you have to choose that option and that’s what we didn’t do. We have to learn. It’s clear at this level that’s not the standard we want to act.
‘I will not admit that [they can’t play this way]. They showed already in pre-season, this has nothing to do with that. It’s about when you make the mistakes you make tonight, every plan and strategy you can put in the bin.’
