Man Utd star slammed over ‘bang average’ performances as Erik ten Hag reveals takeover stance

Manchester United are now just a matter of hours away from restarting their campaign following the international break. Erik ten Hag’s men picked up a big win before the break, but they have generally struggled so far this season.

A consistent run of results is needed for United and Ten Hag to ease the pressure before the next break, and on Saturday they will face a Sheffield United team that has picked up just one point so far this term, with Paul Heckingbottom’s men struggling to adapt to life back in the top flight. As the countdown to the clash continues, we have rounded up all the latest news and transfer rumours surrounding Old Trafford.

Varane criticism

Former Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood has taken aim at Raphael Varane over his recent United performances. “One player that really annoys me is Raphael Varane. I think he is getting away with it,” he told William Hill.

“He is never fit and when he is fit he’s bang average. We all know he’s had a great career but at the same time everyone is happy to jump on the back of Harry Maguire whilst Varane just gets away with it.

“The ones who play more football are simply more durable and they can play week in week out, Varane seems to play once and then be injured again for two weeks. He seems to be picking his games, but when he plays he’s not that brilliant anyway. Ten Hag is not judging players equally and he’s just chucking people onto the pitch and hoping one of the superstars wins him the match. As soon as one of the superstars is fit he takes the likes of Hannibal and McTominay out of the team, and they end up losing football matches.”

Ten Hag on takeover

Ten Hag was asked about the possible takeover at United amid news that Sir Jim Ratcliffe could be closing in on a 25% purchase. “I’m not involved in this,” Ten Hag said in his Friday press conference.

“Others in the club are dealing with this, I’m focusing on my team, focusing on the current block and the most important priority is the next game, it’s all about that.” Ratcliffe was left as the sole bidder after Sheikh Jassim walked away from the process over the weekend.