Nothing dashes optimism more than a dose of reality. Heading into the new English Premier League season, there were hopes of Manchester United would come out on top, especially after they got themselves a new manager, Erik Ten Hag from Ajax. However, it did not take long for the demands of the EPL to set in. Manchester United's problems from the previous season had not magically disappeared. At times, errors out of possession and a lack of organization were hard to watch. While they generally began brightly, they rode their luck on two separate occasions when mistakes from Diogo Dalot and Fred almost allowed Leandro Trossard to score. They were in disarray defensively. They seemed to be continuously shocked when Brighton players popped up nearby and were not in a position to stop them, epitomized as Pascal Gross scored twice towards the end of the first half.

Lisandro Martinez, the team's new signing was also incredibly lucky not to concede a penalty when he fouled Danny Welbeck. The spaces between defense and midfield were also a killer, with Fred and Scott McTominay, still the first-choice midfielders, quite possibly out of necessity. Manchester legend Roy Keane said: "Fred and McTominay are not good enough. They won't get Manchester United back competing. We see it week in, week out." Therefore, it is not a surprise at all that Erik Ten Hag has been desperate to sign Frenkie De Jong. There were some bright moments in the game too, however. New signing Christian Eriksen shone in his debut game while Bruno Fernandes continues to be the beacon of hope to United fans. Despite all the summer dramatics, Cristiano Ronaldo showed why he is important for his team. Whether the boss Erik Ten Hag likes it or not, Ronaldo is at the club and he must be utilized to help United get out of their current predicament. 

Although the Ten Hag was keen to stress he will need time to implement his ideas, he also knows that is not something afforded to many in football. He has now seen for himself firsthand the kind of issue he is facing at United and it is time for him to find solutions to the club's ailment. All is not lost at Manchester United but the Ten Hag rebuilt is a long way from beginning to show an impact yet. With a club that is notorious for sacking managers even before they have started settling down, Erik Ten Hag might just have begun walking a tight rope and if he is not keen to make a turnover in the shortest time possible, he might just be headed to become another statistic in the United records of managers.