When Manchester United fell to a humiliating defeat to Brentford in just their second game of the season it looked as if another year of doom was brewing.
United had enjoyed an optimism-inspiring summer. An exciting and forward-thinking coach in Erik ten Hag was hired, pre-season performances were promising and a few good signings had been made. The wantaway Cristiano Ronaldo and the slow progress in the hunt for other recruits were cause for concern but hopes were high when the season kicked off against Brighton. They were quickly brought crashing back down to earth.
That creeping dread of nothing having changed at all quickly began to seep in as United lost to the Seagulls and then suffered a 4-0 humiliation against Brentford. The season was only a week old but already the pressure was on Ten Hag as he watched on. How could he turn this around?
