Premier League title race: Man City stretch lead at top
Manchester United's tepid performance against Wolves has been labelled "cringeworthy" and "embarrassing" by pundit Paul Merson, who has questioned what Ralf Rangnick is trying to achieve with his tactical blueprint. The German's 4-2-2-2 set-up has proved somewhat ineffective since he replaced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, despite an unbeaten run at the start of his tenure.
Man Utd have been heavily criticised for their poor showing against Wolves (Image: GETTY)
And Wolves handed United a reality check last night at Old Trafford, earning a well-deserved 1-0 victory.
Former Arsenal man Merson was not prepared to hold back in his assessment of United's performance.
He told Sky Sports: "It was embarrassing for Manchester United. Embarrassing.
"Watching the game, I'd go as far as cringeworthy. United had no plan and it was like the players were just going out and doing whatever they wanted. They were playing their own game.
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"If they'd have played five passes and you get a goal they wouldn't have scored!
"I've never really seen anything like it from Manchester United. It's worrying.
"This is Man Utd and they got absolutely ripped to shreds against Wolves at Old Trafford."
Wolves were good value for money, peppering the United goal in the first half before striking their winner through Joao Moutinho.
Wolves earned a 1-0 win at Man Utd on Monday night (Image: GETTY)
The same old problems are continuing to mount for United, who cannot seem to strike the right balance in attack.
Jadon Sancho is struggling to kickstart his United career while Marcus Rashford is a shadow of his former self.
Question marks surrounding the effectiveness of Cristiano Ronaldo also remain and whether his inclusion disrupts the balance of the team.
United are four points adrift of Arsenal in fourth but do have a game in hand.