ERIC TEN HAGG has led moves worth almost £220m in his first summer in charge of Manchester United.
But just £14.6m of that went to full-backs – in the form of Feyenoord youngster Tyrell Malacia.
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Eric ten Haag hired Tyrrell Malacia over the summerCredit: EPA
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Erling Haaland and Co tore the Red Devils apartCredit: Reuters
And during a torrid first half for his Etihad side against the rampant champions, the new boss must have come to regret it as his side were torn apart down the flanks.
To be fair, Dutch youngster Malacia and Diogo Dalot have performed well enough during the Red Devils’ four-game winning streak.
If they had managed to move Aaron Wan-Bissaka before the transfer deadline, then they might have pulled out the checkbook for a trade.
The Ten Hag might wish he had now – as the pair he picked here failed to prevent Jack Grealish and Phil Foden from running amok.
Their performance must have left Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate licking his lips at the World Cup in just seven weeks’ time.
But not all defenders in Qatar will be so forthcoming.
And you can be sure they won’t get that much space against any of the nations they face in the Middle East.
It didn’t help that the United pair spent most of the game on the move after picking up yellow cards early on.
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Dalott came within two minutes when he chipped Grealish on the wing.
Malacia wasn’t far behind when he stepped into Michael Oliver’s notebook as he pulled back Foden, who was enjoying himself on the right.
From then on it was always going to be a difficult afternoon for the two of them – knowing that one more wrong move could earn them a red card.
Grealish appeared to have taken huge confidence from his performance against Wolves before the break, while Foden did serious damage down the right.
Just before the break, City’s third goal came from De Bruyne’s cross from the Malaysian wing, while the former Feyenoord man was unable to keep out Foden after scoring the fourth.
He would have been relieved to hear his manager tell him he would not be returning for the second half – Luke Shaw would replace him.
Dalot – who was probably left alone as there were no other right-backs on the bench – would have been grateful to see the back of Foden and Grealish, who were both sent off with 15 minutes to go.
By then, Foden had a share of match points and City already had six. United’s humiliation was truly complete.
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Diogo Dalot struggled against Man City’s attacking talentCredit: EPA
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