Erik ten Hag can use Liverpool example to address Manchester United concern

Erik ten Hag will face plenty of familiar questions after Manchester United's disappointing start to the season, but he already has the tools to fix the team's problems.

The Reds were often second best in their opening display against Wolves but a late goal from Raphael Varane saved the team’s blushes at Old Trafford. United headed to Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend aiming to silence any doubts but came unstuck against Spurs.

The United boss said in the aftermath of the defeat that his team would have to look in the mirror, ahead of hosting Nottingham Forest on Saturday. Ten Hag felt the Reds performed well in the first half but that will do little to quell fans’ concerns after a shaky start to the season.

"On Monday [against Wolves] the performance was not good, but the result was there. Today the [performance] was okay but we had to win here and we didn't do that,” said Ten Hag. “In the process we take the positives but we also know the meaning of the first goal.

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“We had to keep the belief at the start of the second half, keep the focus, be on the front foot and don't be so passive in the moment when they scored the goal. It was totally unnecessary and that I think changed the game."

Ten Hag is no stranger to early setbacks in a new campaign. At the start of his Old Trafford reign a year ago he suffered back-to-back defeats against Brighton and Brentford, with the latter being a 4-0 humiliation.

But United responded with an unexpected 2-1 win over Liverpool at Old Trafford. Almost 12 months to the day since that much-needed win over Jurgen Klopp's outfit, Ten Hag will hope United pass the same character test they faced