Erik ten Hag's comments about Pep Guardiola show he knew Manchester United would struggle

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag foresaw his side's poor start to the Premier League due to the lack of transfer activity this window.

The losses to Brighton and Brentford saw disastrous performances on the pitch, but there is no denying the off-pitch influences that led to these results. United have signed three players so far this window in the form of Christian Eriksen, Tyrell Malacia and Lisandro Martinez - yet there is still much more improvement needed.

The squad requires a serious overhaul and even if it will take more than one transfer window to do so, the lack of activity this summer has been hugely disappointing for fans. Ten Hag himself will also be disappointed as he was more than aware of exactly what the club needed to do to bring success on the pitch this season.

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With the absence of subsequent signings at the club, the United manager knew this poor start was coming. During his time at Ajax, Ten Hag spoke publicly about the way in which Pep Guardiola struggled to get to grips with English football when he became Manchester City manager.

He said: "Only once in his career has Pep made a mistake – in his first year at ­Manchester City when he completely ­underestimated the power and speed of the Premier League.

"He realised that you can't play the kind of football he loves without ­having a couple of physically strong athletes – and so he brought them in. So he's not a stubborn coach. Yes, he is stubborn in his ­philosophy, but not in the ­execution. And that makes him the best."

Unfortunately, it appears as though the Dutchman has now suffered the same fate as Guardiola did during his first season in England, in not having the tools