Wayne Rooney reveals his stance on Erik ten Hag as Manchester United sack rumors intensify
Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has urged the club to stick with manager Erik ten Hag amid rumors of a possible sack. He believes persisting with the Dutchman will bring stability to the club, despite disappointing results this term, and thus he should not be fired.
Speaking on Sky Sports after the Red Devils' recent 3-2 win over Newcastle United on Wednesday, April 15, Rooney stated that the club now needed to stick with a manager after being in transition for over a decade. He said:
"The club has been in transition for 10 years. You can't keep getting rid of managers and starting again. They're going to have to give a manager time to rebuild the club to get it back to competing for top trophies."
Manchester United are eighth in the Premier League table with 57 points, the same as Newcastle United but behind on goal difference. They can finish ahead of the Magpies but will need to beat Brighton and Hove Albion on the final day and hope that Eddie Howe's side drop points against Brentford.
Manchester United legends want Erik ten Hag to stay
Manchester United legends Gary Neville and Roy Keane also spoke in favor of persisting with Erik ten Hag. The duo believe that there are bigger problems at the club that need to be addressed first.
Keane said on Sky Sports:
"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."
Neville said on his podcast:
"There have been genuine problems at the club. The injuries in the back four and he has been honest with that. But with the more games you are losing and being eighth in the table, yeah, you end up losing that belief. I would never sit in the studio and hope for a manager to lose his job. I hope he is given more time and they can get to the summer, restructure and regroup. I hope he is given that chance to get it right."
Manchester United have little to no chance of finishing sixth in the league table. They will need Chelsea to lose by more than eight goals to Bournemouth, Newcastle to drop points to Brentford and also win by eight-plus goals against Brighton.