Manchester United are in the midst of a catastrophic start to the season at Old Trafford and things could get worse before they get better, according to Sky Germany journalist Florian Schmidt-Sommerfeld.
What's the latest news involving Manchester United?
On Wednesday evening, Manchester United were defeated 4-3 away to Bayern Munich in the Champions League and flattered to deceive in the encounter despite mounting a late fightback, as per BBC Sport.
Red Devils' goalkeeper Andre Onana made a mistake that led to Leroy Sane giving his side the lead in the tie and took the unusual step of bravely fronting up to the media to apologise for his error, stating to TNT Sports: "It's difficult to lose this way because in the beginning we started very good. After my mistake we lost control of the game. It's a difficult situation for us, for me especially because I'm the one who let the team down. Because of me we didn't win but we just have to move on. This is the life of the goalkeeper."
Manchester United have now lost three consecutive matches under Erik Ten Hag and pressure is mounting on his side to improve results amid a backdrop of negative sentiment off the field at Old Trafford. England international Jadon Sancho has hit the headlines recently due to his public spat with the Dutchman, which has yet to lead to a resolution that will see him return to first-team action.
Further fall-out has resulted from his absence, with Sancho seen playing the video game EA Sports 24 as his teammates were preparing to face off against Bayern Munich. Next up for Manchester United is an away clash against Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday night as they aim to recover from their recent slump in form to rise up the Premier League table.
What has Florian Schmidt-Sommerfeld said about Manchester United?
Writing for Sky Germany, via Sport Witness, Schmidt-Sommerfeld has aired some of his thoughts on the current situation at Manchester United and harbours anxiety that things at Old Trafford could "quickly" get even worse if they do not improve results on the pitch.
The Sky reporter has ripped into United boss Ten Hag, labelling him a "shambles" and indicating that his side's start to life in 2023/24 is not just down to misfortune with injuries. The journalist did however state he doesn't know "what the medical department actually does" given the mounting list of players in the treatment room.
In conversation with beIN SPORTS via The Daily Mail, ex-Liverpool player Jason McAteer has claimed that Manchester United have lost their fear factor and he has also questioned their identity as a side.
Ripping into several first-team players, McAteer stated: "They don't have the players who want to put the hard yards in when its get tough. Fernandes, is he going to roll his sleeves up as a captain? No. Antony, Rashford, Martial? (Martial) They can't even get him fit and he doesn't even want to play."
Looking ahead, it remains to be seen if Manchester United can rediscover the resilience that they showed last term or whether their recent stagnation is more than just a minor cause for concern.