ERIK TEN HAG hammered his Manchester United team as they began their pre-season with defeat in Norway.
Despite it only being a friendly in which he made 11 outfield changes at half-time, he said it was “not good enough” as the Red Devils went down to an injury time goal.
It was an understrength squad but big names like Marcus Rashford, Aaran Wan-Bissaka, Jonny Evans, Casemiro, Mason Mount took part in the first half.
And tough taskmaster Ten Hag, who has stayed on as United boss despite the threat of the axe was not happy.
He fumed: “The performance is below standard.
“It is by far not good enough. It is not the standard for top football.
“I know we cannot be match fit at this stage and we played an opponent with much higher fitness levels, still we are Manchester United and players from Manchester United should play better.”
United lost to an injury-time goal from Noah Holm and the Rosenborg squad, who, to be fair, are 15 games into their season.
But a penny for the thoughts of Rashford, who played the first half.
On the day England’s battling Three Lions landed back from a heartbreaking Euros final defeat, here he was.
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS
Last time the competition reached that stage Rashford was part of it, relied upon to take a spot kick in the shootout against Italy at Wembley, although he missed as England fell short.
He scored three in the last World Cup as Gareth Southgate guided the side to the quarter-finals. He was very much part of it all then too.
In fact he had been pretty much part of the story under Southgate from the start, including that World Cup journey to the last four in 2018.
You don’t earn 60 caps and score 17 goals without being part of it all.
Not now, when at 26-years-old he should be at his peak.
Not since last March in fact and the 1-0 defeat at home to Brazil.
Instead he was here playing to a backdrop of near silence in a mindnumbing pre-season game, which goalie Radek Vitek emerged as the player of the match, that clearly did not impress the boss.
The performance was indicative of many from Rashford last season, even if it was the first in pre-season.
But he really needs to do something in United’s summer build-up, which goes to the USA next week after a match against Rangers at Hampden next Saturday.
In 2022-23 he posted season best figures of 30 goals, then it all went, as it can so quickly in football if a young player loses focus as he did last season.
He fell out with the manager and out of the team.
MAN UTD TRANSFER NEWS LIVE: All the latest deals and rumours from Old Trafford
Off field nights out coupled with on field performances at odds with his previous campaign saw the slide last season with club and country.
It was just injury for Mason Mount that saw him left out as he struggled for games last season.
Perhaps the surroundings and standard of this game helped to bring it home, dare I say, even to these senior players including Casemiro, no longer involved with Brazil who have been at the Copa America.
He was the subject of a studs up challenge from Tomas Nemcik which should have seen red in the first half but is ok.
Ten Hag said: “There were so many bad tackles in the first-half.”
Already, he’s not happy.
