Former Manchester United star Paul Ince says the club has become a “laughing stock” following their defeat to Brighton at the weekend.
Jose Mourinho’s side put in a shocking first half display at the AMEX Stadium on Sunday which resulted in a shock 3-2 win for the Seagulls.
Three goals in the first 45 minutes from Glenn Murray, Shane Duffy and Pascal Gross took the hosts into a 3-1 lead at the break, with Romelu Lukaku scoring United’s only goal of the half.
Paul Pogba then scored an injury time penalty in the second-half to make it 3-2, but proved to be too little too late as Chris Hughton’s side held on to beat the Red Devils for the second consecutive meeting.
And Ince, who spent six seasons at Old Trafford between 1989-1995, was less than impressed with his former side’s display, suggesting that the Red Devils have now become the butt of their rival’s jokes.
“Other clubs and fans are having a field day at the minute, seeing what is happening at Manchester United. They’re becoming a laughing stock, and falling behind,” the former midfielder wrote for Paddy Power.
“They finished second last season, and will probably make the top four this year, but is that what they should be striving for? No.
“Realistically, their goal should be to win the Premier League. But they just cannot compete with Manchester City or Liverpool at the minute.
“If they lose against Tottenham on Monday, for example, they could find themselves six points behind City with three games gone already.”
Jose Mourinho has come under heavy criticism from fans and pundits alike in recent days following the defeat, and Ince was another who has no sympathy for the Portuguese, insisting he was largely at fault for the current situation at the club.
“That’s the whole lot, from the top down, Ed Woodward, Jose Mourinho, Paul Pogba, everything is a total mess. You would never have seen this going on with Sir Alex Ferguson as manager, especially not playing out in public.
“I could see why it would be playing on the minds of supporters that this season might end up like the Chelsea 2015-16 one.
“I can see now that fans are turning against Jose Mourinho, and I can understand why. When you see Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham – they’re all playing the kind of football you expect from a Manchester United side.
“After last year, the way he set up his teams and some of the football the fans had to endure, you’d have thought he’d have tried a different technique this time around.
“I watched the game on Sunday, and I physically couldn’t see what Mourinho and United were trying to do. There was no game-plan whatsoever.”
Manchester United next take on Tottenham Hotspur this bank holiday Monday.