“You’re never going to win” - Dwight Yorke outlines what is ‘lacking’ at Manchester United amid poor start to the season

Manchester United icon Dwight Yorke has slammed the team's performance against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday (September 29). The Red Devils succumbed to a 3-0 loss at Old Trafford in the Premier League, their fourth defeat in nine games across competitions this season.

Yorke admitted that it was hard to watch his former club getting outplayed, saying (via Football365)

“It was hard to watch, hard to take. You know you’re going to win and lose in football – and not very often would we lose at Old Trafford – but the problem is the manner of the defeat."

He added:

“Three goals against Liverpool, three against Bournemouth at home, and now three against Spurs. These are teams that would find it very difficult to come to United and get a point, let alone three. It’s hard to get your head around it."

Yorke also slammed Manchester United's lack of conviction and work ethic on the pitch.

“The biggest thing is the lack of conviction, the lack of work ethic. People talk about identity, and you can go into more detail, about your methodology and all those fancy words, but you have to show desire and earn the right to win football matches. That’s what always stuck with me from my time at United."

He continued:

“So yeah, it is very hard to comprehend and to get your head around it. And for me, the biggest thing, like I said, you know, we win and we lose football games at times. But the lack of conviction, the lack of work ethic…people talk about your identity or whatever and you can go into more details and your methodology and all of these kind fancy words.”

The former striker insisted that things were far different during his time at Old Trafford.

“When I joined, you had to match the opposition for effort because we knew then our talent would shine through. If we’re not matching them for desire, effort, work ethic, you’re never going to win."

He concluded:

“It was clear on Sunday we were lacking in those departments. We didn’t look fit. We didn’t press. There was no energy whatsoever. It looked like we were playing with no idea about what we were supposed to do when we were in or out of position. Those are two fundamental things I find disturbing.”

Manchester United will next be in action against FC Porto on Thursday, October 3, in the Europa League.

Manchester United could sack Erik ten Hag after a poor start to the season

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is on borrowed time at Old Trafford. The Dutch manager is in his third season in charge and has invested over £600m in the squad in the past transfer windows.

While the Red Devils have won the FA Cup and the EFL Cup during his reign, their performance in the league has been disappointing. In his first season, Manchester United finished third in the league table, 14 points behind champions Manchester City.

Last season, the Red Devils ended up eighth in the Premier League, 31 points behind champions City. Manchester United are 13th in the table this year after six games, with three defeats and two wins, already eight points behind leaders Liverpool.

When new minority owner INEOS decided to keep their trust in Ten Hag this summer, they must have expected better. The clock is ticking on the Dutchman right now and poor results against Porto in midweek and Aston Villa next weekend could see him lose his job.