Gary Neville advises Erik ten Hag on what he must do to avoid Manchester United sack after 2-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville has suggested that Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag must learn to trust his scouting team and get the right players into the squad. This comes after the Red Devils suffered their ninth loss of the season to Nottingham Forest (2-1) on Saturday, December 30.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Neville said:
"There's a lot of deals you can start to look at with a glass half empty when you look at the recruitment."
"Gone are the days where managers would travel three or four nights a week to watch other players. They would been like a chief scout or a head of the academy."
"It's now a global scouting game with people going across the world. Those people have to be trusted to go and select the right players."
The Dutchman's role in recruitment has come into question after Manchester United signed multiple players he had worked with previously. Andre Onana, Lisandro Martinez and Antony all played under him at Ajax, while he coached on-loan Sofyan Amrabat at Dutch side Utrecht.
While Martinez has excelled during his short stay at the club, he has missed a lot of games through injury. Onana, Antony and Amrabat, meanwhile, have struggled to cope with the demands of the Premier League.
It was once again a difficult night for Ten Hag's men as goals from Nicolas Dominguez and Morgan Gibbs-White condemned the Red Devils to yet another loss. They now find themselves seventh in the league table with 31 points from 20 matches.
Ten Hag identifies main issue with Manchester United's poor run of form
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has assured fans that his side will return to their best form following a 2-1 loss to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
Speaking at a press conference after the game, he said:
"I believe that [results will improve]. I know when players return then I am sure this side will be stronger. That's the job, you have to clinically analyse this, then you know where it's coming from. We have a lack of routines, we have to work on that."
United have been hit hard with injuries this season, with many key players on the sidelines. Notably, they have had to field nine different central defensive partnerships in the league this season, using the likes of Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire, Jonny Evans and Willy Kambwala.
Against Forest, Ten Hag was unable to play the previous game's hero Rasmus Hojlund who was out with an illness. The defeat marked Manchester United's ninth loss in the Premier League this season, something the club hasn't done since 1930-31 when they were relegated.