What Ten Hag learned from watching Man United for the first time

'The best thing that has happened today is the season has finished... it has been horrible, a very bad season in all ways.'

David de Gea's words neatly summed up the feelings of most Manchester United fans as a torturous campaign finally drew to a close on Sunday with a wholly predictable 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace.

But for Erik ten Hag, sat in the stands at Selhurst Park to watch his new team in person for the first time, the hard work is only just getting started. And, boy, is there a lot of hard work ahead.

The Dutch coach, who has accepted the challenge of rebuilding United into trophy contenders from their lowest ebb in decades, sat impassively as he watched the action and refused to comment to the press pack immediately afterwards.

But his mind would have been whirring with observations - probably more negative than positive - and fizzing with ideas on how to drag United out of their present malaise as he gets down to work this week.

Here's a few things Ten Hag will have learned from Sunday's match as he watched United in the flesh for the first time.

First impressions of Lindelof are not good at all

We already know that the likes of Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic and Edinson Cavani are on their way out of Old Trafford and they'll have already said their farewells.

A number of other players are likely to be on the transfer list once the window opens. But for everyone else, Sunday was an audition in front of the new manager and a good opportunity to impress.

Unfortunately for Victor Lindelof, he succeeded only in strengthening the case for a new centre-half to be signed at the earliest opportunity.

In the first-half, he was on the halfway line trying and failing to mark Odsonne Edouard when a long ball sailed over him