Erik ten Hag became second Manchester United manager to ignore Sir Alex Ferguson's advice

Cristiano Ronaldo's appearance on the Manchester United substitutes bench for their defeat to Brighton has seen Erik ten Hag become the second manager to ignore the advice of Sir Alex Ferguson.

The dream start that Ten Hag would have hoped for during his first Premier League match turned into a nightmare before half-time. The players walked down the tunnel to a chorus of boos at both half-time and full-time as United started their season with a 2-1 loss at Old Trafford.

The issues at the club were never going to be fixed overnight. Ten Hag has inherited a mess nine years in the making, and defeat on the opening day was symbolic of the club's slow but steady decline over the past decade.

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The Dutchman still needs support in the transfer market as the club desperately try to bolster their squad ahead of the September 1 deadline. One of the positions that United are looking to improve is in attack, as they look to find a new striker to lead the line for them.

Christian Eriksen played as a false nine during the first-half in what appeared to be a tactical gamble that didn't pay off for Ten Hag. It took just eight minutes of the second-half before Ten Hag introduced Ronaldo in an attempt to salvage something from the game, despite the Portuguese star being short of match sharpness.

In leaving Ronaldo on the bench, Ten Hag went against the words of advice from United's former manager. Ferguson told Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to "always start with your best player" after United's 1-1 draw with Everton last season when the 37-year-old was left on the bench.

After the defeat to Brighton, Ten Hag seemed to acknowledge the