Erik ten Hag could be ruthless again with four more Manchester United players

For the first time this season, a Manchester United player did not chat to the written press on Sunday. A few players mumbled answers in their obligatory mixed zone debriefs with the rights holders but skipped scrutiny from the written press.

Erik ten Hag had already held court curtly with them in the dressing room, lamenting the players’ lack of self-belief. Like obedient pupils, Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes echoed their manager verbatim in their raw interviews.

In the press conference room, Erik ten Hag offered his “respect” to Cristiano Ronaldo with a peculiar answer legislating for his unused status. Kevin De Bruyne also paid his respect to ‘the king’ by obtaining Ronaldo’s sweatless shirt.

Read more: Ten Hag gives injury update on three players

Ten Hag bristled at a question about Eriksen marking Erling Haaland. Ten Hag seemed to be the last person in the Etihad aware of Eriksen’s attempt to handle Haaland, about as resistant as plaster withstanding a sledgehammer. Ten Hag admitted United were "hammered" and time will tell if he takes a hatchet to the team.

As useful as the latest venture in their Europa League odyssey is to placate Ronaldo, grant Anthony Martial a start, recall Casemiro and trial other personnel, Ten Hag should already have a clear picture of his line-up at Everton on Sunday. Those invited into United’s Carrington training complex quickly noticed “clear” is Ten Hag’s favoured noun.

The United team at Goodison Park will likely confirm decisions were made based on City rather than Cyprus. The Premier League is the gauge of United's progress and the derby was a regressive afternoon, a thrashing few anticipated. Least of all, Ten Hag.

His response to the generational nadir of Brentford was