"I love the way he plays football" - Teddy Sheringham says Erik ten Hag wasn't his preferred candidate for Manchester United job
Former England striker Teddy Sheringham has admitted that Erik ten Hag was not his preferred choice to take over at Manchester United.
The former Red Devils attacker has revealed that he would have favored Mauricio Pochettino ahead of the Dutchman because of his Premier League experience.
Manchester United have already announced that the current Ajax manager will take over at Old Trafford next season.
However, Sheringham has stated that he would have opted for the former Tottenham Hotspur boss as he plays football in "the Man United style."
The 56-year-old believes Ten Hag will have a Herculean task on his hands when he takes charge of the struggling Red Devils. He said (as quoted by Metro):
"I would have (preferred Pochettino), only for his experience in the Premier League."
Mauricio Pochettino was shocked to learn of Erik ten Hag's appointment as Manchester United manager.
🚨 Mauricio Pochettino was shocked to learn of Erik ten Hag's appointment as Manchester United manager.
He was not informed by United that he'd missed out on the job before the club announced Ten Hag.
(Source: @TheAthleticUK) https://t.co/ReVx31PYtS
"I love the way he plays football. It’s in the Man United style, or the style we used to play years ago."
"I’ve got to be honest, I don’t know an awful lot about Ten Hag. He’s obviously a decent manager. But the club is in a bit of turmoil at the moment and it’s going to take an awful lot to turn it around."
Sheringham added that Ten Hag needs to be given time to adapt in the Premier League and stabilize Manchester United.
The Englishman has also claimed that the 52-year-old manager has taken up a massive challenge at the worst possible time. He said:
"He has a massive job on his hands and it’s going to take him a little while to become accustomed to the Premier League. Let’s hope he is given time – but we all know what football is like. We’ll see if he gets the time that’s needed."
"The way United are at the moment, it looks like they’re in freefall to me because of the way the club’s being run, from top to bottom, and everybody’s rowing in different directions."
"He has to be the man to pull it all together and make sure they’re all rowing in the right direction. It’s a real tough job. He couldn’t have come in at any worse time, for me."
Will Erik ten Hag's lack of Premier League experience cost Manchester United?
Prior experience in the Premier League could be beneficial for a new manager. However, we have seen many top managers doing well in the top tier of English football without any experience in the league.
The likes of Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola, Antonio Conte, Jose Mourinho, and Arsene Wenger are all cases in point.
🗣️ Sir Alex Ferguson on Erik ten Hag's appointment: "I hope he does well, the club need someone to get in control." [via @MirrorFootball]
Erik ten Hag has done really well at Ajax over the years and has earned his role as Manchester United manager.
His lack of Premier League experience is unlikely to be a huge factor in determining his fate at Old Trafford.