Erik ten Hag claims Brighton defeat shows he has a ‘hell of a job’ AND needs Cristiano Ronaldo. And United skipper Harry Maguire blamed a “nightmare first half” for the “worst possible start” to the season. Pascal Grosz’s double set up Brighton deserved a 2-1 win before hapless substitute Ronaldo inspired some improvement from the struggling Red Devils. But United’s increasing pressure was answered only by Alexis McAllister’s own goal. New boss Ten Hag said: “It’s definitely a setback. It’s a real disappointment and we have to deal with it. “We gave away two easy balls and the organization was a big mistake. “We have to take the lessons and learn quickly from this. We don’t have time and we have to deliver.” Ten Haag believes United clicked better once Ronaldo came on and debutant Christian Eriksen dropped into a deeper midfield role. And centre-back Maguire said: “We started well and were in control of the game. Then we conceded the first goal and it hit us hard. “We’ve stopped playing since then. We have to look not to let that first goal set us back as much as it did. But we have to be better on the ball.” But pundits such as Old Trafford legends Paul Scholes and Roy Keane, as well as fans on social media, have drawn the pairing of Fred and Scott McTominay in the middle. Meanwhile, his brother Marko Arnautovic appears to have confirmed that United have come for the 33-year-old Bologna striker. Journalist Andreas Heidenreich says that Danijel Arnautovic told him: “It is true that there is an offer from a well-known club.” Finally, Ten Hag is said to ‘value’ the talent of PSV Eindhoven winger Kody Gakpo, who has also been linked with Arsenal and Leeds.
