FORMER Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov has admitted he is “worried” about the club following a difficult start to the season.
Erik ten Hag’s men were beaten 3-1 by Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday in a dramatic Premier League encounter.
GettyManchester United suffered a second defeat of the season at the Emirates on Sunday[/caption]
Dimitar Berbatov is worried about Man Utd following their opening four gamesGetty
It means they head into the international break with six points from four games – picking up wins over Wolves and Nottingham Forest but suffering defeats to Tottenham and Arsenal.
And Berbatov, who won two league titles with Man Utd between 2009 and 2011, is already concerned about his old side’s inconsistency.
Speaking exclusively to SunSport, Betfair Ambassador Berbatov said: “To be honest, I’m a bit worried about how United is starting the season.
“I was expecting more. I was even saying that they could challenge for the title and be title contenders.
“Now, I know it’s early in the season obviously, there’s a lot of games to play before the end of the season. But I said if they continue like this trend of not picking up points and picking up points then it’s not going to be a good season for United.
“Today was [a] disappointment, especially when you let in two goals after extra time.
“It means that concentration level has dropped and you lose that focus that you need to be until the final minutes of the game.”
Berbatov scored 56 times in 149 games during his four seasons under Sir Alex Ferguson – including 21 in their 2010/11 title-winning campaign.
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Berbatov won two Premier League titles in three years with Man UtdGetty
Along with his two Premier League triumphs, he won the League Cup and reached two Champions League finals – losing both to Barcelona.
He played with some of Man Utd’s greatest ever players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes.
And while he does have concerns around the current side, he is reluctant to name any one of his former colleagues as someone who would significantly improve Ten Hag‘s team.
He added: “I think the team that United has now, it’s a good team. But they need that consistency and concentration level to be really high.
“One player from my team when I used to play? I’ve been lucky to play with great players.
“I could easily say Ronaldo. I could easily say Rooney, Giggs, Scholes, all these players.
“But to be honest let’s not make it like this. They have a good enough team. Just be more concentrated and consistent and they will have a good enough team.”
Meanwhile, another of Berbatov’s former sides, Tottenham, have enjoyed a much more encouraging start to the season under new boss Ange Postecoglou.
Berbatov helped Spurs lift their last trophy – the 2008 League CupTimes Newspapers Ltd
Spurs have picked up 10 points from their opening four games, scoring 11 goals in the process.
And the 5-2 victory away at Burnley on Saturday typified the attacking style their Australian head coach is looking to play.
But Berbatov, who was a part of Tottenham’s last trophy-winning side when they won the League Cup in 2008, is urging them not to get complacent.
He said: “We had this start before when Tottenham was in and around first place and all of a sudden a drop in form. So I sincerely hope that’s not going to be the case this year.
“If we leave Spurs out of the spotlight a bit and not put too much expectation on them, I think they’ll perform better. Just leave them be and they will play better.
“With a new coach who is flowing and playing attacking football – the fans were singing the other day ‘We have our Tottenham back’ – which is great to hear. You want to have entertaining football, but still get the points.”
Dimitar Berbatov was speaking onboard Betfair’s 90 minute bus, which was outside the Emirates Stadium on Sunday surprising early leaving Arsenal and Man United fans, who are the worst supporters for leaving early according to a recent Betfair and YouGOV survey.
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