Former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra has stated that new manager Erik ten Hag has been “fooled” by some of his players at Old Trafford who “don’t respect the badge”.
The new manager has begun his career with the Premier League giants in the worst possible way, with his side recording two humiliating defeats to Brighton and Brentford in their first two Premier League games of the new season.
He comes up against fierce rivals Liverpool next, meaning that they could return to the bottom of the table if they lose against Jurgen Klopp’s men.
The situation at the club has left many pundits and former players baffled. However, Evra who spent eight successful seasons at Old Trafford has not been too surprised by Manchester United’s poor start.
Speaking to Betfair via GOAL, the former France international stated that he feels the players are psychologically broken.
“It’s déjà vu and I’m not surprised. I see the same players, there’s no confidence and I think we have got carried away with the pre-season,” he said.
“When the league starts, things are totally different. Sometimes I even prefer to have a bad pre-season, then it means you have to work hard, your legs are heavy.
“When you’re too sharp in pre-season and you look good, that means you’re not working hard enough.
“I also blame Ten Hag. He’s been fooled by all those players, the same way other managers have been fooled by them.
“In pre-season, they looked so good, and he would have been excited to make them even better, but no. Psychologically, they are broken.”
The former defender also criticised United players for the lack of fight shown in their two Premier League defeats, revealing that he’s angry with the performances he’s seen so far.
“If they don’t fight anymore, it’s because those players don’t want to be there and they don’t respect the badge. Let’s be clear. Brentford were 4-0 up after 35 minutes,” he added.
“When I saw that, I wasn’t surprised, and that’s the worst part. What did we expect after seeing the same midfield, the same team? What does anyone expect?
“I don’t know if Ten Hag wanted different players. I don’t know if he wanted to get rid of some players, but they couldn’t because their salary was too high.
“That’s why I’m angry with the players because it’s down to them.”
