Manchester United have suffered heartbreak at Wembley Stadium this afternoon after losing to Manchester City in the FA Cup Final and Erik ten Hag will surely be disappointed with the performance put on by his team.
The Red Devils were on course to secure the domestic double after winning the League Cup earlier this year, but it wasn't meant to be on the day with the undeniable force of their local rivals presenting itself in just seconds of the game commencing in London.
Over the monumental occasion, United struggled to dominate in any area of the pitch with just 40% possession, fewer shots on target (3 v 5), fewer accurate passes completed (267 v 450), fewer duels won (40 v 48) and fewer tackles completed (11 v 19), proving that Ten Hag's side were outplayed in both attacking and defensive play.
In the first half, nobody could have predicted that Man City would be breaking records just 12 seconds into the Wembley clash but Ilkay Gundogan's stunning volley secured the lead for the Sky Blues and became the fastest ever FA Cup goal in the history of the competition.
Following the German's strike, the spotlight was stolen by VAR and refereeing decisions with Jack Grealish penalised for a controversial handball in the box, which gave the Red Devils the golden opportunity to get back into the game with Bruno Fernandes converting a spot kick to equalise in the 33rd minute.
In the second half, Gundogan punished the Red Devils again early with another goal in the 51st minute to take the lead once again which ultimately turned out to be the match-winner, delivering the seventh FA Cup in the club's history.
Whilst Ten Hag will be proud of the achievements that his team have delivered with Champions League football and a trophy secured this season, this afternoon's outing will serve as a reminder that the rebuild is still very much in progress at the club with the need to offload some of the players clear.
How did Fred get on vs Manchester City?
The Brazilian midfielder - who was signed for £47m back in 2018 - has had a rocky tenure at Old Trafford, and if reports are to be believed he could be one of the players who will be shown the exit doors this summer.
Man United have been linked with a number of midfielders who could be set to replace Fred this summer with Declan Rice, Manuel Ugarte and Mateo Kovacic all named as potential targets for the Dutch coach this summer, and the midfielder did himself no favours to stake his claim to stay in his outing at Wembley this afternoon.
Over his 90-minute performance, the 30-year-old dud lost 81% of his duels (3/16), misplaced 100% of his crosses, lost possession of the ball ten times and was dribbled past twice, whilst he even failed in 100% of his dribble attempts too.
Whilst Fred cannot be blamed for the entirety of the uninspiring display at Wembley, it is painfully obvious that Man Utd are crying out for a more energetic presence and a player who can look after the ball better going forward in the important position.
With that being said, Ten Hag must take a good look at his starting players and improve in key areas to ensure their pursuit for trophies and dominance doesn't stagnate again next season and Fred should be one of the players who shouldn't ever wear the shirt again.