“If you listen to the fans, you don’t have a lot of time” – Zlatan Ibrahimovic weighs in on Ten Hag situation at Manchester United
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has suggested that time may be running out for Erik ten Hag to reignite a floundering Manchester United amid the side's struggles at the start of the season.
The Red Devils have endured a bumpy run of results, suffering a 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday (September 30) just as it seemed that they had turned a corner.
The loss to Palace at Old Trafford was Manchester United's fourth league defeat in seven games. Ten Hag's men sit 10th in the Premier League and this is their worst campaign in 34 years.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic who spent two seasons at United from 2016 to 2018 has given his take on Ten Hag's situation. The Sweden icon admitted that coaches don't have a lot of time due to the demands of fans (via Piers Morgan Uncensored):
"How much time do you give a coach? It depends on the owners, what they want. But if you listen to the fans, you don’t have a lot of time because they want to win, and I understand them because they are used to winning and they want to still win."
Ten Hag has ran into problems with high-profile names at Manchester United since his appointment in May 2022. Cristiano Ronaldo came to loggerheads with the Dutch coach before making an exit in November last year.
Meanwhile, Jadon Sancho is currently banished from Ten Hag's first team after taking to social media to disagree with his manager's claims that he'd undertrained.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic touched on Ten Hag perhaps not having the experience to deal with superstars:
"Ajax is a talented club. They have the best talents in the club. They don’t have big stars. What is the experience of this coach? Young talents, he comes to United, it is a different mentality. The players there are supposed to be big stars. I don’t think you give the same treatment."
Ten Hag enjoyed an impressive debut campaign at Old Trafford in which he oversaw a third-placed finish in the league. He also guided the Red Devils to their first trophy in six years by winning the Carabao Cup.
However, the wheels have come off at the start of his second season in charge. He is learning how much pressure there is to succeed at Manchester United.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was surprised by Manchester United's 'small closed mentality' while at the club
Zlatan Ibrahimovic admitted back in 2021 that he was surprised by how small Manchester United are from the inside. Many's perception of the the Premier League giants is that they're one of, if not, the biggest clubs in the world.
However, the Swede raised concerns about the mentality of the club in his autobiography 'Adrenaline: My Untold Stories'. He stated:
"One thing surprised me: everyone thinks of United as a top club, one of the richest and most powerful in the world and seen from the outside it looked that way to me. But once I was there I found a small, closed mentality."
Ibrahimovic then revealed how he once took a fruit juice from a mini bar. Once he received his pay slip he'd been docked £1 for taking the drink. He was bemused by this:
"I called the team manager: ‘Excuse me, why have they taken a pound off my salary.’ The team manager had a look and told me: ‘It was the fruit juice from the mini-bar.’ ‘Are you kidding, seriously?"
The Swede made 53 appearances across competitions for Manchester United, scoring 29 goals and providing 10 assists. He won the UEFA Europa League and the League Cup during his two-year spell.