Owen Hargreaves has delivered a stinging assessment of Manchester United’s performance after their 3-1 loss to Brighton at Old Trafford.
This defeat marked their fourth in five home league matches, leaving fans disheartened and raising serious concerns about the team’s trajectory under Ruben Amorim.
Brighton started strong, with Yankuba Minteh converting Kauro Mitoma’s assist just five minutes in, exposing United’s ongoing defensive struggles.
While Bruno Fernandes equalized through a penalty midway in the first half, Brighton seized control after halftime.
Mitoma’s goal restored their lead before a critical error by goalkeeper Andre Onana allowed Georginio Rutter to secure a third for Brighton.
The loss dropped Manchester United to 13th in the Premier League table, putting them closer to the relegation zone than to the Champions League places.
Hargreaves labeled the performance “dreadful” and highlighted a litany of issues, from defensive frailty to ineffective recruitment.
Speaking on Premier League Productions, Hargreaves lamented United’s inability to adapt. “Defensively, the goalkeeper, struggling to score goals—United have so many problems, it’s crazy. They’re late to everything, reactive, and the style of play just doesn’t suit the players.”
The former England midfielder also pointed to recruitment woes, noting, “Brighton had six players who would start for Manchester United. That should never happen. With the utmost respect to Brighton, their players shouldn’t even make United’s squad.”
While United’s struggles continued, Brighton celebrated their triumph, climbing into the Premier League’s top half and extending their unbeaten run to seven games.Rutter
Brighton’s star, Georginio Rutter, expressed his satisfaction: “It’s tough to play here, but we stayed calm and confident. The team has supported me, and we’ll keep taking it game by game.”
As United face mounting pressure to turn their season around, Hargreaves stressed the need for immediate changes in recruitment and strategy to salvage their campaign.