United humiliated in fourgoal thrashing by Brentford

Brentford Dasilva (10), Jensen (18), Mee (30), Mbeumo (35) 4 | Manchester United 0

- MIGUEL DELANEY

AT THE BRENTFORD COMMUNITY STADIUM

A humiliation that was one of the most astounding scorelines in the Premier League's 30-year history, and wasn't actually all that surprising. Jubilant Brentford, for one, seemed to know exactly what Manchester United were going to do and how they could hurt them. Again, and again, and again, until it was a stunning 4O after just 35 minutes.

That is itself a low, and yet you couldn't really say Erik ten Hag's new era has plummeted to new depths. It was rather a continuation of everything that has come before, an implosion from so many problems that had built up for over a decade.

The most alarming part is maybe that Ten Hag hasn't been able to arrest that, even temporarily. There's been no jolt, no new spark, no impact, except for the negative.

This should of course put even greater focus on fan protests against the Glazer ownership, under which Manchester United can never be what they should be.

It was a modern football tragedy that a leveraged takeover was allowed to happen in the first place and continues to sum up problems in England's national game.

Perhaps the country's greatest club are clearly broken, most of all within the dressing room.

There are some figures with knowledge of the United squad who talk of "football PTSD", if you will excuse the insensitivity of using such a term. They've suffered too much emotional stress, with too much glare.

That can be seen in how badly they react to adversity now. This, the club of Fergie-time, Roy Keane and last-minute winners.