Today’s back pages: Man Utd are ‘so bad it’s scary’ and England try ‘Fergie time’

United hammered by pundits

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane and ex-boss Jose Mourinho did not hold back from criticising the team’s performance following the humiliating 2-0 defeat to West Ham yesterday.

The Daily Mirror reports that Sky Sports pundits Keane and Mourinho were shocked at how awful United have been under manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Keane said it was “scary how far United have fallen”. He added: “I don’t know where to start. I was shocked and saddened by how bad they were.”

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Mourinho, who was sacked by United in December last year, was also scathing in his post-match reaction, saying he “can’t find any positives”.

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England seal ‘Fergie time’ bonus

England kicked off their Rugby World Cup campaign with a 35-3 victory over Tonga yesterday and head coach Eddie Jones revealed that his side were inspired in part by former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

The Times, The Guardian and the Daily Express report that England needed “Fergie time” to seal a crucial bonus point against the Tongans.

Ferguson visited England’s training camp ahead of the World Cup and The Times says the Scot talked to the squad about playing under pressure at the close of a match.

Jones said: “Whenever you get great people in they make an impact. One of the things Sir Alex’s teams were renowned for was ‘Fergie time’.

“His message to us was be patient and that’s what I enjoyed about our team. There was no sign of panic, they kept on playing good rugby and the try came.”

England’s next Rugby World Cup pool C clash is against the USA on Thursday 26 September at 11.45am (BST).

Today’s newpspaper back pages