Erik ten Hag gets it wrong with starter and substitution in latest Manchester United defeat

Marcus Rashford helped up a crestfallen Diogo Dalot. Amad sunk to the turf. Manchester United players have become all too accustomed to that sinking feeling.

United are the club that continue to gift a punchline to supporters who revel in their defeats. They are now so frequent the schadenfreude among rival fans is possibly more of an afterthought than ardent.

Sir Alex Ferguson, the last United manager to leave the Trent without a point in 1992, sat next to Sir Dave Brailsford, sporting a Paul Smith club tie, in the directors' box. This was the ground that provided salvation for Ferguson in the FA Cup back in 1990. For Erik ten Hag, it is close to damnation.

United's December has ended with two wins from eight games, five defeats and total elimination from European competitions. United have lost 14 games this season - that is two shy of the total in the David Moyes season 10 years ago.

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The las time United had more losses at the turn of the year was in 1930-31. They ended that season relegated.

Just as disconcerting as United's number of defeats is Ten Hag's in-game management that has abandoned him for almost the entirety of the campaign. He got it badly wrong removing Kobbie Mainoo for Scott McTominay at the interval and both of Forest's goals came in the void that was United's invisible midfield.

If United are not conceding quickly after scoring or conceding in quick succession, they are conceding to free shots from a cut-back. It happened twice with Nicolas Dominguez and Morgan Gibbs-White's precise hits as Andre Onana was denied a shield.

Alejandro Garnacho sunk to his knees and Bruno Fernandes berated anyone and everyone as Gibbs-White