Erik ten Hag suffers fresh Man Utd humiliation as Christian Eriksen goes from hero to zero

Erik ten Hag spoke before the game about it being painful to hurt something you love.

But in the end it was his old club FC Twente who ended up hurting their former player and coach, the Dutch side the latest team to expose Manchester United's underlying fragility. United looked to be heading towards a victorious start to their Europa League campaign, courtesy of Christian Eriksen's stunning first-half strike.

But the wheels came off for United after the break, with Sam Lammers stunning Old Trafford with a superbly-taken equaliser in the 68th minute, to pile further pressure on Ten Hag.

After a goalless draw at Crystal Palace at the weekend, Ten Hag needed a convincing and victorious start to United's Europa League campaign, against opponents fourth in the Eredivisie.

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But it never materialised, with Ten Hag left to rue another slack performance from his United side, which has already put them at a disadvantage in the opening stage, ahead of next week's visit to Porto.

Ten Hag spoke before the game of the emotional difficulty of facing the club he grew up supporting and where he spent 23 years as a player and coach. The United boss made more than 250 appearances for Twente and helped them win the Dutch Cup in 2001, before retiring the following year, aged 32, and embarking on his new career as a coach.

Had he not been in the home dugout at Old Trafford, Ten Hag would more than likely have been amongst the ebullient and vocal 3,500 away fans who made the trip from the east of Holland to Manchester.

And it was the visitors, urged on by their vociferous support, who conjured the first chance of the game after seven minutes, Lammers guiding the ball just wide, after Diogo Dalot allowed Bart Van Rooij to cross into the six-yard box.

United were strangely passive and inhibited in the first 20 minutes, happy to sit off their opponents, who passed the ball around with calm assurance, although with little in the way of an end product.

Ten Hag cut an increasingly-agitated figure on the touchline, at one point in the first-half making talking gestures with his hands, signalling to his players to improve their communication. Yet United almost went ahead fortuitously in the 25th minute when Twente defender Mees Hilgers inadvertently hooked the ball towards his own goal, Lars Unnerstall making a superb save to scoop it to safety.

United picked up the pace shortly after the half-hour mark, Dalot surging forward and finding Marcus Rashford, who delivered a superb ball into the six-yard box for Joshua Zirkzee, who was unable to connect with it. But the breakthrough eventually came in the 35th minute, midfielder Eriksen seizing on a loose ball and thundering an unstoppable shot beyond the reach of Unnerstall.

It was Eriksen's third goal of the season, following his double in the 7-0 Carabao Cup mauling of League One Barnsley, to continue a renaissance for a player who looked set to be on the fringes this season.

Lisandro Martinez gave away a needless free-kick in a dangerous position just before the hour, Andre Onana doing well to palm the ball away from the resulting effort from Sem Steijn.

Eriksen went from hero to villain in the 68th minute, when he conceded possession cheaply, allowing Bart Van Rooij to sprint forward before steering an assured finish inside Andre Onana's near post.

When the final whistle went, the FC Twente fans in a corner of Old Trafford celebrated as if they had won, leaving their old boy Ten Hag facing more difficult questions.

Next up for United is Tottenham, who visit Old Trafford on Sunday, followed by a trip to Porto and a visit to Aston Villa. Should United continue to underwhelm in those games, Ten Hag's future will undoubtedly be under scrutiny in the international break that follows.

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