“They don’t know where they’re playing” - Paul Merson says Manchester United duo look ‘lost’ after Crystal Palace defeat

Pundit Paul Merson has slammed three Manchester United stars for their terrible performances against Crystal Palace on Saturday, September 30. The Englishman insists that Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes, and Mason Mount are clueless in the middle of the pitch.

Erik ten Hag's side lost 1-0 against the Eagles in the Premier League at Old Trafford after Joachim Andersen got on the scoresheet in the 25th minute. Following the defeat, Merson was quite critical of the Manchester United midfield trio.

He also claimed that Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund did not receive the required service from the three stars in order to find the back of the net.

The former Arsenal star said on Sky Sports:

"It's hard for him [Hojlund]. He doesn't get a lot of service. You've got Mount and Casemiro and Fernandes. And they don't really know where they're going. They don't know where they're playing."

He added:

"I just find that Mount and Fernandes look a bit lost. They don't know where they've got to go. They're getting dominated and they're getting passed around."

Manchester United signed Mount from Chelsea this summer for £60 million. The England international is yet to impress for the Red Devils in three appearances.

Mount had a sub-par pre-season with Manchester United and was sidelined for the majority of this season, registering just two Premier League appearances.

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"You just don't see the pattern of play" - Paul Merson slams Manchester United for 'disappointing' display against Crystal Palace

Despite their 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace in the EFL Cup third round in midweek, Manchester United failed to walk away with any points in their league encounter this weekend.

Merson further slammed the Red Devils for their disappointing performance, while calling out Ten Hag for his underwhelming management. The Englishman insists that the Dutch boss has not implemented a recognizable style of play with the squad at his disposal.

He added Manchester United have a long way to go in order to regain the dominance they once had under legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Merson said:

"You just don't see the pattern of play, you just don't see it. If it comes off, it comes off. You watch Liverpool play, you watch Tottenham play, you watch Arsenal play, you watch Man City play. They have patterns of play. Someone will go in and they'll come back out and they'll go in."

"At Man United it's just 'get the ball out wide and hope Rashford does something, and if he does something we might score a goal'."

Merson further said that Manchester United should be concerned with their start and their lack of identity, saying:

"I thought [Sofyan] Amrabat was wasted out on the left in the end. I think he did come into the middle at the end. But he should start off there. They need to dominate teams. It's too slow at Man United. They just let teams get into the game and settle in the game."

"They've got to go for it in the first 20 mins, there's nothing like that. Disappointing. They've not made loads and loads of chances and were lost for ideas for a lot of the game."

He added:

"For me it's a big worry for Man United at the moment. It's another defeat, and they're a million miles off. You look at them and think 'how are they going to turn it around?', but I don't see that at the moment. He [Erik ten Hag] might have to change the shape."

The Red Devils are 10th in the league table with three wins and four defeats in their first seven games.