Jamie Redknapp has slammed Manchester United's away record and believes Christian Eriksen was a "big miss" after they fell to a 1-0 defeat at Brighton on Thursday.
The Red Devils were second best at the Amex Stadium; although it took until the 99th-minute for Brighton to grab a winner. Alexis Mac Allister struck from the penalty spot to seal a vital three points for the Seagulls. Erik ten Hag cut a frustrated figure after the game as the Red Devils continued their dreadful away run against top-half teams.
They have now won one of their nine away matches against sides currently inside the top-10, with their only victory coming against Fulham back in November. Ex-Tottenham midfielder Redknapp criticised the Red Devils but also pointed out Eriksen's absence as a huge concern - after the Dane dropped to the bench.
"Manchester United didn't do enough today," Redknapp said on Sky Sports. "They've not done enough in so many away games against good sides.
"When you look at Brighton you can see patterns of play, you see movement and understanding. Away from home, Manchester United are struggling with that.
"That's something Erik ten Hag certainly needs to work on. At home they've had some good performances. Away from home they're struggling a bit.
"Christian Eriksen was a big miss today. When he doesn't play, they miss that calmness and quality. Fred wasn’t as comfortable on the ball in those tight area and that’s something they really missed without Eriksen. They just weren't good enough today, Brighton were the better team and fully deserved the three points."
United are still in pole position to finish in the top-four and sit four points ahead of fifth-place Liverpool but also have a game in hand. However, Brighton are not out of the running just yet, although the Seagulls do face Manchester City, Arsenal, Newcastle and Aston Villa before the end of the season.
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When asked about United's top four chances, Paul Ince said: " Listen, it’s not over yet. We spoke to ten Hag about how important it is to get them into the Champions League, Liverpool are four points behind them now.
"United have got a game in hand, but they’ve got to go to West Ham which is never an easy place to go. So, there’ll be a little glimmer in Liverpool’s eyes at the moment."
He added: "It’s always funny to try and put your finger on it because when you look at them sometimes, you see them at home, they do cut teams open, it can sometimes be a mental thing.
"You look at them today first half, they don’t look like a team that lose away, but if you look at the games they’ve lost - four nil, six and seven - we’re not talking about one nil’s, we’re talking about a lot of goals they’re conceding. Somewhere defensively - and not just the defenders, the people in front of them - are they defending enough?"
