Manchester United's players were given a scathing assessment by TNT Sports pundits after the defeat to Newcastle by Jermaine Jenas, who suggested the Red Devils were 'sending a message' to Erik ten Hag.
United lost 1-0 away to Newcastle, with the in-form Anthony Gordon sinking the traveling Red Devils at St. James' Park in the second half after a number of toothless performances.
Both Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial endured difficult nights, with their body language and work rate coming under fire throughout the match. The latter was even seen shouting and gesticulating at his manager during the match, with Ten Hag visibly furious with the French striker.
Both strikers came off after sub-par performances after 62 minutes of the Red Devils' defeat, with Jenas suggesting there were 'signs' of discontent among the players during the miserable evening at St. James' Park.
“Personally, I thought there were signs tonight that there were a few players ahead of me who weren't happy with the tactics that were given to them, or weren't happy with their position on the pitch,” the TNT sports expert said. said.
Jermaine Jenas gave a scathing assessment of Man United's performance in Newcastle
Rashford was poor in attack for the visitors and was hooked just after the hour mark
Anthony Martial's performance was also criticized in charge of United at Newcastle
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“The body language of a team can say a lot and there were a few that sent a message to the manager.
'I was thinking today especially about Marcus Rashford on that right side, the way he was just walking around and throwing his arms around was one that said 'look, I don't want to play on this right side'.
'No tracking, Martial was run from center half by Fabian Schar and did what he wanted. There were too many of those moments where I watched and I thought he (Ten Hag) seemed to be such a disciplinarian off the field, but I didn't see the same level of respect from the players on the field today and that's a great care.'
His fellow pundit Ally McCoist added: 'It has nothing to do with the manager. If you cross that white line, you are playing for yourself and the supporters who have traveled.'
United have now suffered back-to-back defeats to Eddie Howe's side in just over a month.
This latest setback comes at a time of instability at United for the Dutch manager; After poor form, the Red Devils took back-to-back wins in the Premier League before blowing a 2-0 lead to draw 3-3 with Galatasaray in midweek.
McCoist insisted that apart from centre-backs Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw, all other Red Devils players were under-par in Saturday's defeat, adding that questions had to be asked about the squad's 'commitment'.
Ally McCoist claimed that apart from centre-backs Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw, all United players were undersized on Saturday
McCoist suggested the players had let Ten Hag down and added that questions needed to be asked about their efforts
“Of course they are!” he said when asked if the players were letting the manager down. 'It's not about letting the manager down, you have to look at yourself.
“When you step on that field, you represent yourself, your family and supporters around the world.”
It was a display highlighted by the hands on the hips and waving arms of United's attackers, with Martial captured on camera gesturing to the Dutchman on the touchline at times throughout the match.
The Frenchman was filmed turning his head towards the manager and stretching his hands out to his sides as Ten Hag raged at him and shouted indistinctly – a display that caught Jenas' attention at half-time.
“This seems to be the culture within this team at the moment. Lots of arms raised, lots of blaming each other, and no cohesion.
'They are not together and (Ten Hag) feels it. He knows they're not going to win this game if they don't come together somehow.”
Rashford's own poor display comes at a time when the England star is desperate for goals and has scored just twice in the competition – one of which came from the spot last time out against Everton.
At a time when England are likely to take their plans for next summer's European Championship to the next stage after meeting their group stage opponents on Saturday evening, Rashford's form in front of goal is a growing concern for club and country.
And Jenas was also quick to point out that the problems were not just limited to his shooting boots, but also to his attitude on the field.
'I think it was bad. I think his body language was shocking throughout the match, too many moments where he was throwing his arms around,” the TNT sports expert said. “I feel like he's almost sending a message to his manager, like, 'I don't want to play here.'
Ten Hag's team is struggling with form, despite seventh place and only four points away from the Champions League spot
The Dutchman shouted at his attacker Martial from the sidelines in the first half
'Things like this are actually criminal, putting your team under that kind of pressure by not fulfilling your duties as a wide man. To get back to you, it's clear that Livramento knows he doesn't want to come with me. He's kind of half going, he's never there, Marcus, and it happened over and over again.
“He's very fortunate that more often than not, when they break, he's not interested in tracing it back. Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw are constantly coming to the rescue due to the ineptitude of the wide players.”
“It's not just them; Fabian Schar runs past Martial, Trippier runs past Garnacho – everywhere in the park they were second best to Manchester United, Newcastle just couldn't take advantage of that.'
However, Jenas' words of warning were not heeded by United, with Newcastle finally finding a breakthrough in the second half and retaining their deserved three points.