British Summer Time is here, but Erik ten Hag remains stuck in the dark ages.

Nobody enjoys seeing a good man crucified at this time of year like that geezer from Nazareth, but on the dismal evidence of a burgled point by Kew Bridge, Ten Hag is a Red man walking.

Manchester United may have summoned the spirit to dump Liverpool out of the FA Cup, but that mirage in the desert is already a distant memory.

When they return to west London for the big under-achievers ‘derby’ at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night, if United present Ten Hag with such barrel-scraping mediocrity, even Chelsea’s worst team this century might beat them.

Premier League: Palace hit five and Villa lead plus Liverpool level at Fulham	Premier League: Alexander-Arnold puts Liverpool ahead as Villa and Palace win	Premier League: Fulham level against Liverpool as Villa and Palace win

Every meaningful stat at the Gtech Community stadium screamed of players going through the motions and a manager in the twilight zone of his reign.

Even when United adjusted their highwaymen’s masks and held up the stagecoach with Mason Mount’s first goal for the club, and his first for 15 months, in the 96th minute, they still managed to ride off into the night without the loot.

Ten Hag accused his players of lacking passion, and no arguments there - you would find more passion at a hen night in a convent than United’s strolling indifference.? But if his team cannot muster the basic enthusiasm to nail relegation candidates like the Bees, who were fabulous, it suggests they are not pulling for him.

And although Ten Hag pays lip service to reaching Champions League orbit again next season, he has more chance of jumping in the Thames without catching a nasty E-coli bug from all the raw sewage.

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Manchester United look dejected after Kristoffer Ajer of Brentford scores his side's equaliser.

We are Manchester United and we must win, but we gave it away at the end.

We were winning, we should compliment the team for that, but then we gave it away.”

The clocks may have gone forward, but United are stranded in 2013, still waiting for the next Fergie.?

Even if Ten Hag manages to roll away the stone, it would probably finish in his own net.

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