07 August 2023 , 10:02
833
0
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has pinpointed one "absolutely shocking" problem Erik ten Hag needs to fix this season.
Ten Hag enjoyed a positive first season in charge of United as they won the League Cup, reached the FA Cup final and secured a return to the Champions League with a third-placed finish in the Premier League.
However, United had a poor record away from home, particularly against the other top teams in the league. In total, United failed to win a single away game against any of the sides which finished in the top nine last season, losing eight and drawing once.
That record included several particularly heavy defeats such as a 4-0 loss to Brentford, a 6-3 loss to rivals Manchester City and a 7-0 thrashing against Liverpool. And Neville hopes United will be much better on the road this season.
"Their away record, particularly against the big teams in the top half of the league, was absolutely shocking," Neville told FourFourTwo magazine.
Marcel Sabitzer completes Man Utd transfer after last-minute deadline day dash
"Obviously, the hardest games in the season are the away games against the top teams, so it's a big fix, but it was basically a disaster for us against teams like Brentford, Brighton, Liverpool [and] City. All of those games were an absolute shambles."
Neville also reflected on the 7-0 loss to Liverpool, claiming he did not think Jurgen Klopp's side actually "played that well". He added: "I was just embarrassed that it got so bad in the second half.
United boss Erik ten Hag needs to improve his side's away record (Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)Mirror Football is now on Threads!
"I actually don't think Liverpool played that well. Honestly, I've seen Liverpool play a lot f***ing better. Liverpool weren't in a great run of form; they lost to Bournemouth the week after.
"There were a couple of really good goals, but other than that, the goals were an absolute farce. United did that a few times during the season. It was out of character because, to be fair, they finished third in the league, got to cup finals, beat Barcelona and beat Manchester City and Arsenal at home; they won some massive matches."
United's Premier League campaign will get underway on August 14 when they host Wolves at Old Trafford and Ten Hag will be hoping to build on last season's progress following the big money signings of Mason Mount from Chelsea, goalkeeper Andre Onana from Inter Milan and striker Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta.