'Worst in my lifetime' – Match of the Day pundit lays into Man Utd after Arsenal defeat

Erik ten Hag
It was a 19th defeat in all competitions for Erik ten Hag and Manchester United this season -Credit:Offside via Getty Images


Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer made a scathing declaration about Manchester United - referring to their current line-up as the "worst in my lifetime".

The Red Devils suffered their 19th defeat across all competitions on Sunday (May 12th) after losing 1-0 against their Premier League rivals Arsenal which has now extended the battle for the title until the season's closing day.

Despite the United being plagued by injuries, with star players like Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes absent, the Newcastle icon was straightforward about the squad's lacking quality, reports the Mirror.

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He voiced his disappointment in Monday's episode (May 13th) of The Rest Is Football podcast, accompanied by his Match of the Day colleagues Gary Lineker and Micah Richards. As Richards lavishly praised William Saliba, whose stellar performance at Old Trafford won him the man of the match title, the Premier League's top scorer declared: "I think that's the worst Man United team I've seen in my lifetime.

"You can't fault their effort, they tried, but in terms of ability-wise [and] I know they've got loads of injuries, but would you argue against me that team being the worst in my lifetime that I've seen," he asked Lineker, who concurred with his view.

Following United's record-extending 14th Premier League loss on Sunday, which leaves them in eighth place and on track for their worst finish in over three decades, Ten Hag expressed his frustration.

Post-match, the Dutch manager highlighted the team's injury woes and compared it to Arsenal's relatively healthy squad this season. "Any manager can do better but also I am two years here and I have one time had a full group of players," he stated.

He further explained the challenges of managing a team with numerous injuries, saying: "You can't progress a team in certain key areas with so many injuries. It's like swimming with your hands on your back and you have to keep your head above the water level, that is what we try to do."

Despite the difficulties, Ten Hag remained optimistic, reminding everyone: "We are still in a cup final. This is good. But if you want to progress a team you need fit players and you see our opponent today, they had only one not 100 per cent match-fit player and we had so many."