Man United: Cristiano Ronaldo gives a thumbs up as he leads glum-faced arrivals at Carrington

Manchester United‘s players cut glum figures as they turned up at Carrington to start another week of scrutiny amid the crisis at the club.

The Red Devils sit bottom of the Premier League table following chastening defeats by Brighton at Old Trafford and Brentford in west London, making Erik ten Hag the first United manager in 101 years to have lost his first two league games in charge.

Their issues on the pitch have been played out among a backdrop of yet more frustration in the transfer market, with United having signed just three players this summer and having failed to sell those deemed surplus to requirements.

Cristiano Ronaldo gave a thumbs up as he led Man United’s stars into training on Tuesday

Club captain Harry Maguire was among the glum-faced stars arriving at Carrington

David De Gea made two mistakes in Brentford defeat and looked serious among his arrival

Matters do not get any easier for ten Hag’s men with Liverpool up next, and it appears the players realise the size of the challenge in front of them after they were seen driving into Carrington with expressionless faces.

Cristiano Ronaldo – whose future remains undecided after he expressed his desire to leave for a Champions League club earlier this summer – led the list of United stars making their way in on Tuesday morning, and did manage to give a thumbs up.

Centre-backs Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez – who faced plenty of criticism playing at the heart of defence despite his height – were also straight faced as they arrived, with the Argentine wearing a pair of trendy glasses.

Lisandro Martinez too faced plenty of scrutiny after partnering Maguire at centre half

Marcus Rashford was hammered for his lack of involvement and was also straight-faced

Christian Eriksen is one of three new arrivals this summer but has failed to help fortunes

David De Gea – whose errors virtually handed Brentford their first two goals on Saturday – and Marcus Rashford – another player heavily criticised for his lack of involvement in west London – were also snapped coming in to work.

With only injured players – including Anthony Martial – coming into Carrington on Monday, it represents the first time fit and available first-team stars have trained since they were hauled in for extra training on Sunday in the wake of their horror show 4-0 defeat.

After calling the performance ‘rubbish’, furious United boss ten Hag cancelled a planned day off and ordered the players to report to the club’s Carrington training base.

Ten Hag punished his team for running a total of eight-and-a-half miles less than Brentford by making them cover the same distance on Sunday in temperatures of over 30 degrees.  

The Dutchman decided to crack down on his under-achieving stars. He arrived early on Sunday before leading an inquest into the latest humiliation.

United sit bottom of the Premier League table following the Brighton and Brentford defeats