Erik ten Hag fires clear Manchester United message with shock half-time move against Bournemouth
(Image: Catherine Ivill)

Erik ten Hag fires clear Manchester United warning with shock half-time message against Bournemouth

Erik ten Hag was in no mood to be patient after a disappointing showing at Bournemouth

by · Manchester Evening News

Manchester United returned to their inconsistent performance levels on Saturday evening in a poor first-half showing against AFC Bournemouth.

After holding Premier League title challengers and fierce rivals Liverpool last weekend with a spirited performance, Erik ten Hag's men were back to performing below their best at the Vitality Stadium.

A slow start down the south coast saw Bournemouth open the scoring through Dominic Solanke after a series of errors from United. Bruno Fernandes did level the scoring from close-range but Justin Kluivert put the Cherries ahead with another phase of play that could have been avoided.

READ MORE: Bournemouth 2-1 Manchester United - Bruno Fernandes equaliser but Kluivert and Solanke score for hosts

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Following Newcastle United's resounding win over Tottenham earlier in the day, United knew they had to win at Bournemouth to keep their far-fetched hopes of another Champions League finish alive.

A disappointing first-half display was responded to by Ten Hag with the Dutch head coach making an unusual change at half-time. Alejandro Garnacho, who was at fault for Bournemouth's opener, was hooked for Amad in a bid to shake things up in the second-half.

The introduction off the bench is just Amad's third Premier League appearance of the season having last been used in the league in the 2-1 defeat to Fulham in February.

Ten Hag was a frustrated figure on the touchline at Bournemouth after seeing another lacklustre display away from Old Trafford. It comes after the fortunate 1-1 draw at Brentford two weeks ago and the late defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

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