Does Manchester United's squad lack quality? - Andy Mitten discusses Red Devils loss to Brighton

Right, let's get some more on Manchester United now. We can speak live to United WeStand editor Andy Mitton. Andy, thanks very much for joining us this Monday morning. We just heard from Gary Neville there saying the defeat didn't come as a surprise and claiming the squad lacks quality. Do you agree with that assessment? I don't think the defeat came as a huge surprise, given that it was the fourth time Brighton have beaten Manchester United in the league in a row. It's still early on in the season, but I can't pretend that I'm far less optimistic than I was when I came back from the pre-season tour in the United States. You've seen the goal there and seen Manchester United's defence at odds with each other. And a lot of the players are just not playing to the level they did last season. So again, here you see Lissandro Martinez, one of the best players last season. He started the season poorly. He has come back from a serious injury. I think you've got to take that into account. But Casemiro, arguably the best player last season, not playing well. Brighton were excellent. Brighton are excellent. They were fantastic and unlucky to lose the FA Cup semi-final back in April against Manchester United. And we see all the statistics about how little their squad costs. We know how good the manager is. It's remarkable. I was at the Wyvdean Stadium 2012. If you'd have said to me on that day, Brighton and Auvergne will be a Premier League team, let alone a force to be reckoned with, I wouldn't have believed you. But it's worrying for Manchester United. You can handle one defeat to Brighton, but United have been unconvincing in all the home games so far and lost both the away games in the league. And then there's the prospects of a trip to Bayern Munich on Wednesday. There's so many issues going on at the club, on and off the field, that while the fans are supportive and still supportive with Eric ten Haag, because it's early on in the season, people are clearly worried. Yeah, clearly worried. And it's three defeats in five league games, the first time that's happened in the Premier League era. Ten Haag says they aren't in crisis. Would you agree with that? Are they not quite at crisis stage yet? But how do they ensure they don't get there? By winning football matches, I don't think it is a crisis, but each time Manchester United don't play well and fail to win a match, then people become more alarmed. Even in victories against Wolves at Old Trafford, when Wolves were a far better side, or coming from two goals behind against Nottingham Forest, there was concern there from the supporters. I think ten Haag has the backing of the vast majority. I think every football manager has a rough spell, and he's having a rough spell. And that happens. I remember in 89, that was the last time you have to go back for a season which started as badly as this one in terms of defeats. It got even worse. And that was when Alex Ferguson was in charge. By the December, the fans wanted Alex Ferguson out, and Manchester United were a mid-table team, as they are now. They started last season badly. They've started this season badly. Them players can't have just become poor players. The new signings have got to be integrated. I also think United have been quite unlucky. That goal which wasn't given at Arsenal when Garnaccio was a fraction offside, again on Saturday when Rasmus Hoyland scored a very good team goal, except it wasn't given because of VAR. United are not getting the breaks on the field at the moment. And that can change quite quickly as well. A few wins can lift the confidence. After the game in Munich, there's a run of four home games in Ligue 1 Cup. And Manchester United simply need to start winning. There's no other solution to this. Because even if they win by playing badly, the mood does lift. It's all about the results. You mentioned, Andy, there that the majority of fans are still behind Eric ten Haag. But is that starting to change slightly? Because it felt as though not too long ago, he had the vast majority of support and pretty much everything he did was supported. Whereas now, just some murmurings. When he substituted Rasmus Hoyland the other day, there were some boos. Some fans maybe even questioning his disciplinarianism with some of the decisions he makes off the field. Is that fair? I think it's absolutely fair for fans to critique their team. They've paid good money to watch them. They're allowed to praise and criticise them, whether that's the player or the manager. I think players and managers get that. That's fair game. It's only when it crosses into the personal that it becomes more of an issue. I think United fans have been very supportive of Eric ten Haag. He did a very good job last year. From the team that he took over, to finishing third, to winning the League Cup, reaching an FA Cup final, there were some disappointments. But Old Trafford became a fortress again. And that defeat at Brighton was the first defeat in the league since Brighton at the start of last season. I think that fans can question Eric ten Haag. Absolutely. They can question his decisions. But, and I'm at the matches, I think fans remain very supportive of him. They know that he's not got an easy job. Especially with all the stuff going on at the club for non-footballing reasons. That's very difficult for any human, let alone any football manager. But I think he's got most of his calls right. But football fans are passionate. They've got strong opinions and they're entitled to express those opinions. If Manchester United lose the next four matches, more people will come out and lose faith in Eric ten Haag. It's the same with football fans all over the world. They say you're six results away from being sacked. I don't think there's any prospect of Eric ten Haag losing his job at the moment. But Manchester United need to start winning matches. We can't speak to you without discussing the takeover situation. Do you think United can get back to where they expect to be with this hanging over them? Or does that have to be sorted out first? I think when you say hanging over them, I think that's quite right. This is the cloud that refuses to go away. When the announcement was made last November that the club were looking into a strategic review, fans, naively or not, thought that Manchester United was going to be sold and it would happen within weeks or months. And 10, 11 months down the line, nothing has happened there. And it's a cause of massive frustration because it leads to uncertainty. It leads to division among fans as to what they want next. I don't think the Glazers are popular with any Manchester United fans. Equally, the team should have started better than they have done this season with the personnel that the managers got, with the signings that have been made. And the issue of the takeover, if there's going to be one, because we don't even know whether that's going to happen, remains a prominent one at Manchester United. And if you mix into that how well some rivals are doing, I just think every United fan would agree. And in fact, a lot of the people within the club would agree. It is time for change. The Glazers have had their time. The fact that they don't communicate to fans makes it even more frustrating because nobody knows what's coming next. Is the club up for sale? Yes or no? We have so many conflicting stories. So many stories are leaked and briefed and fans are none the wiser. I cannot say now, and I speak to people on all sides, whether Manchester United will be sold or not. And what they do know for sure is coming next, there is a big game in Munich on Wednesday. So looking forward to that. Andy, thank you so much for coming on. We'll speak to you again very soon.