Jurgen Klopp has hit out at former Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor over comments he made on talkSPORT following Manchester United’s 4-0 defeat to Brentford. And of course, Klopp did it in his usual brutally funny style.
United were condemned to a humiliating defeat at Gtech Community Stadium after Josh Dasilva, Mathias Jensen Ben Mee and Bryan Mbeumo all scored inside the opening 35 minutes.
Agbonlahor, who was hosting talkSPORT’s GameDay Phone-in with Jamie O’Hara, didn’t hold back in his criticism of Erik ten Hag’s side.
“This is not Manchester United,” he said. “If I was them now after this game I’d be thinking, ‘You know what, Ten Hag, just pack up’. He’s had pre-season and they have started the season as a shambles, they’re like strangers on the pitch.
“They’re just not good enough, [David] De Gea must know that [Christian] Eriksen has got a man behind him, use your brain and you don’t give it to him, Man City wouldn’t even give it to Rodri in that position. Amateur from Manchester United.
“If I was Gary Neville now at half-time [commentating for Sky Sports] I’d throw the white towel in and say, ‘Alright, it’s 4-0, I can’t take any more.’
“They’re not United, they’re divided. None of them are working for each other. Look at them, they’re like strangers on the pitch.
“[Lisandro] Martinez at centre-back, he’s meant to be the centre-back to come in and help them, he looks lost in the Premier League.
“It’s a shambles kit, shambles club at the moment. I’ve been hammering United and people are saying I’ve got an agenda against Manchester United – no, I’m speaking facts that real Manchester United fans will agree with.
“You’re just not the same Manchester United that you used to be. These results have been coming. Last week you lost and it wasn’t shocking, and this isn’t a shock to me. I knew Brentford would win, this is not a shock to me.”
Klopp, who takes his Liverpool side to Old Trafford on Monday night, surprisingly came to United’s defence in his pre-match press conference.
The German hit back at Agbonlahor and even recalled Liverpool’s demolition of an Aston Villa side that were spearheaded by the 35-year-old back in February 2016.
“I drove home, watched the first half here [at the Liverpool training ground], drove home and listened to talkSPORT,” Klopp said.
“And Gabby… he lost against us 6-0 in my first year. I couldn’t remember him as a ‘mentality monster’ on the pitch.
“But what he said about United on that show, I was close to calling in and telling him, ‘You have forgotten completely that you have been a player.’
“It was unbelievable. If ex-players are going already like this, you can imagine how everything else is going.”
🗣 “I listened to Gabby Agbonlahor, he lost against us 6-0 in my first year, I couldn’t remember him as a mentality monster on the pitch.”
Jurgen Klopp reveals he was close to calling in to @talkSPORT after listening to the post-match reaction to Man United’s loss to Brentford pic.twitter.com/zNlfB6UXsV
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) August 19, 2022
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