"I don't see a suitable replacement" - Manchester United legend urges club to give Erik ten Hag one more season to prove himself
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has urged the Red Devils' hierarchy to allow Erik ten Hag another season in charge at Old Trafford. The Dutchman finds himself under immense pressure following a season to forget after a solid first season at Old Trafford.
Expectations were massive from the Dutch manager when he was brought in by Manchester United in the summer of 2022 following his excellent stint with Ajax. Ten Hag certainly enjoyed a pretty impressive first season at the club, leading them to third place in the league, an FA Cup final and Carabao Cup success.
However, things have fallen apart for the 20-time English champions this season as they currently find themselves eighth in the table. However, Gary Neville has urged Sir Jim Ratcliffe to show his trust in the former Ajax boss and give him another season.
The former England right-back has highlighted that Ten Hag has had to deal with a lot of injuries this season. He has also claimed that there are not too many standout managerial candidates available at the moment. Neville said, as quoted by The Daily Mail:
"I don't see a suitable replacement for Ten Hag available. Bayern Munich are struggling to find a replacement [for Thomas Tuchel], others are struggling. I think we need to stick with Ten Hag and give him one more season - an injury-free season - to see if United can get back to the standards of last season where they won a trophy and finished in the top four."
The former Manchester United star added:
"Players and managers have struggled to come to terms with Old Trafford in the last 10 years. These players and managers were great when United signed them, so there is something fundamentally wrong that is creating this difficulty. Maybe the new ownership and personnel will allow these players and manager to feel more stable."
With Ten Hag's future at Old Trafford up in the air, Manchester United have been linked with a number of managers across Europe. Thomas Tuchel, Gareth Southgate and Graham Potter have been named as potential replacements of the Dutchman.
Jamie Carragher names two biggest flop signings made by Erik ten Hag at Manchester United
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has named Casemiro and Antony the two worst signings Erik ten Hag has made during his time at Manchester United. Carragher questioned Ten Hag's judgement in terms of signings, pointing out Casemiro and Antony as two of his worst mistakes. The former Liverpool defender told Stick to Football podcast:
"Ten Hag took over at United with a big reputation because of his work at Ajax, especially when he led them to the Champions League semi-final. He was not presented as an emerging coach but at 52 was supposed to be a ready-made one who would impose a clear vision.
"United had qualified for the Champions League in two of the three seasons preceding Ten Hag’s appointment and there was a belief talented players needed superior coaching and a change of culture at the training ground."
The former England defender added:
"Like Arteta, Ten Hag had no choice but to use the personnel available to be more pragmatic in his first season. Over his first three transfer windows, United spent just over £380 million and nothing has changed as they have bought more deadwood than they have sold. Of Ten Hag’s first Premier League line-up (defeat by Brighton in August, 2022), seven would probably still make the first choice XI.
"Only two have left the club, and another, Jadon Sancho, is about to play the Champions League final on loan at Borussia Dortmund. Unlike Arteta’s transfer picks, Ten Hag’s decisions backfired terribly, especially the signings of Antony and Casemiro."
Casemiro enjoyed a pretty impressive first season at Manchester United following his £60 million switch from Real Madrid in 2022. The Brazilian has, however, struggled this campaign and seems to be beyond his peak.
Antony, on the other hand, has arguably been one of the worst signings in Premier League history. The Brazil international has managed just 11 goals and five assists in 81 appearances for Manchester United so far.