If this is the right direction Erik ten Hag keeps talking about, then God help Manchester United if they ever take a wrong turn.

A week after it felt like United couldn’t play any worse in the defeat at Newcastle, they managed it at a rain-swept Old Trafford on Saturday, although that perhaps doesn’t do justice to an outstanding Bournemouth performance.

In between, Ten Hag’s side outplayed Chelsea here in midweek. Inconsistent hardly begins to describe them.

Just which Manchester United turn up for Tuesday’s crucial Champions League tie against Bayern Munich and the perilous trip to Anfield next week is anyone’s guess.

If it’s anything like this one then Ten Hag is in even bigger trouble than we think.

Dominic Solanke put the visitors 1-0 up after five minutes, placing the ball past Andre Onana with an excellent finish

It was Solanke’s eighth Premier League goal of the season, having also recently scored during Bournemouth’s 2-2 draw against Aston Villa

Boos rang out at Old Trafford at full-time with Erik ten Hag’s side cutting deflated figures as they walked off the pitch

Somewhere, Sir Jim Ratcliffe was watching this horror show unfold as he prepares to cross the ‘t’s and dot the ‘i’s on his £1.25billion investment.

What must Ratcliffe and his Ineos advisors make of this utterly shambolic performance? What must they think of these overpaid and under-achieving stars? And how do they judge a coach who clearly hasn’t got a clue what kind of a performance he will get from his team from one game to the next?

United went to Newcastle as the form team in the Premier League and had their pants pulled down. They started this one with an opportunity to go level with Manchester City on points, having just swept the November awards for manager, player and goal of the month, yet once again found a way to fall flat on their faces.

‘Consistently inconsistent! An abysmal result,’ Gary Neville posted on social media, summing up the infuriating nature of his old club this season.

Ten Hag manfully accepted responsibility for United’s 11th defeat in their opening 23 games, but once again it was the players who let him down so badly. He can’t keep making excuses for them, and certainly not for a performance as rank as this one.

United had 20 attempts on goal, ten more than their opponents, but were not as clinical as Bournemouth

It was United’s second defeat in their last five matches in all competitions, with the Red Devils’ now sixth in the table, three points off Man City in fourth

It felt like that notoriously leaky roof had fallen in on Old Trafford. When substitute Dango Ouattara looked to have scored a fourth goal in injury-time, you honestly feared if Ten Hag would survive until the Bayern game on Tuesday.

It was chalked off for handball, as was Marcus Tavernier’s header for offside in the first half. Dominic Solanke hit the post. Make no mistake, this could have been worse and it would not have flattered Andoni Iraola’s side either.

They were excellent from start to finish. Everything United weren’t. Smarter, hungrier and more clinical when it mattered.

Their fourth win in the last five games was also the club’s first ever victory at Old Trafford.

It will never match the Bournemouth’s famous FA Cup victory over United at Dean Court in January 1984 when Harry Redknapp’s side were struggling towards the bottom of the old Third Division, but their fans won’t forget this one in a hurry.

Scott McTominay had a chance to pull one back in the first half, shooting from outside of the penalty area but couldn’t find the back of the net

Ten Hag made several substitutions in the second half, bringing on Facundo Pellistri, Marcus Rashford and Jonny Evans, but they were unable to change the scoreline

Nor will Iraola who ranks his Europa League victory with Athletic Bilbao here in 2012 as the highlight of his playing career.

It was hard to believe how easily Bournemouth held United at arm’s length. Ten Hag’s side had 20 shots on target but 12 were blocked and three were on target. Only one of them, Harry Maguire’s looping header from Sergio Reguilon’s cross in the first half, caused goalkeeper Neto any inconvenience at all.

Manchester United 0-3 Bournemouth: Match facts and ratings

Man United (4-2-3-1): Onana 4.5; Dalot 5, Maguire 5.5, Shaw 4 (Evans 79, 6), Reguilon 5; McTominay 4, Amrabat 4.5; Antony 5 (Pellistri 79, 6), Fernandes 5.5, Garnacho 5 (Rashford 79, 6); Martial 3 (Hojlund 56, 5).

Subs not used: Bayindir, Varane, Wan-Bissaka, Van de Beek, Mainoo.

Bookings: Reguilon, Hojlund, Fernandes

Manager: Erik ten Hag 4

 

Bournemouth (4-2-3-1): Neto 6.5; A Smith 7, Zabarnyi 6.5, Senesi 7.5, Kerkez 7; L Cook 7.5 (Rothwell 87), Christie 7; Semenyo 6.5 (Billing 58, 7), Kluivert 7, (Sinisterra 72, 6.5), Tavernier 7.5 (Ouattara 87); Solanke 8.

Subs not used: Mepham, Brooks, Moore, Kilkenny, Travers.

Goals: Solanke  5′, Billing 68′, Senesi 73′

Bookings: Tavernier

Manager:  Andoni Iraola 8

 

Referee: Peter Banks 7

Location: Old Trafford

Attendance: 73,427

United were already behind by then and it had been coming even before Solanke put Bournemouth ahead in the fifth minute.

Slow starts have been a problem for Ten Hag all season. They have now gone behind in half of their games in the Premier League and conceded the opening goal nine times in all competitions at Old Trafford.

They were at it again here having played several sloppy passes before Bruno Fernandes attempted another one to Scott McTominay. Lewis Cook got to the ball first with a burst of acceleration that took him in front of McTominay and beyond United’s back-four in the same movement.

Cook crossed low for Solanke who had found space in between Maguire and Luke Shaw, and he beat Andre Onana with a lovely flick.

Solanke and Cook were the pick of a very good Bournemouth bunch. The striker proved a real handful for United’s defence, bullying them at times and then dropping deep to give their midfielders a taste of the same medicine. Cook got to the ball first time and again.

United were so bad that when Maguire intercepted on the edge of his box before half-time, it was greeted like a goal.

The home fans were cheering again within 11 minutes of the restart when Ten Hag decided he had seen enough – or not enough – from Anthony Martial and hooked the Frenchman in favour of Rasmus Hojlund.

It was hard to say which part of that switch pleased the fans the most. Yes, Martial was his old infuriating self again, but he wasn’t alone.

United continued to labour and were floored by a second Bournemouth goal in the 68th minute.

This time, Shaw’s aimless pass was intercepted and Solanke fed Tavernier on the left. He crossed towards the edge of the six-yard box where 6ft 4in substitute Philip Billing was always favourite to beat Shaw and Reguilon to head home.

Within five minutes it was three. Tavernier swung in a corner from the right and no-one was picking up Marcos Senesi as he planted a header into the back of the net from 10 yards.

Philip Billing (centre) got the second after half-time, heading in a cross from Marcus Tavernier

Marcos Senesi made it 3-0 in the 73rd minute, heading in another corner from Tavernier

Bruno Fernandes could have also been sent off after kicking out at Adam Smith in second-half

The goal was met by a chorus of boos from the United fans as Ten Hag stood scowling on the touchline.

If United can’t beat Bournemouth then what chance Bayern? On the evidence of such an erratic season, you actually wouldn’t put it past them.

But the prospect of a Champions League exit on Tuesday and going to Anfield on Sunday, where Ten Hag lost 7-0 last season and without captain Bruno Fernandes after he was booked for dissent here, is almost too awful to contemplate.

With Ratcliffe’s arrival just around the corner, the United manager has every right to feel nervous.

Bournemouth are now unbeaten in their last five matches after winning four and drawing one