“They’re going to need two or three years” - Gary Neville makes bold claim on Erik ten Hag’s future amidst Manchester United sack rumors
Gary Neville has stated that Manchester United will not want to Erik ten Hag in the middle of the ongoing season. He believes that the Red Devils will give the Dutchman time to turn things around, as they know the club needs two to three years to get better.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Neville stated that INEOS have just taken over at the club and will not want to make sudden changes soon. He added that the club decided to stick with Ten Hag earlier this year and will not want to reverse their decision within months. He said (via Caught Offside):
"They definitely won't want to do anything this season. No club wants to sack a manager during the middle of the season. It's not just a reflection on the manager, it's a reflection upon them. Even though INEOS have come into the club in the last few months in terms of taking control of the football side – and Dan Ashworth and Omar Berrada have only been in for a couple of months – you can't really land the blame at their door."
"They're going to need two or three years to sort this out. But the club did make the decision to keep Ten Hag in the summer, so they won't want to reverse that decision within the first six or seven games. They have just got to hope [something happens] in this next couple of weeks – through maybe a reset, some thinking time, some planning," he added.
Manchester United have been linked with Thomas Tuchel in case Erik ten Hag is sacked. The Red Devils have also been rumored to show interest in Graham Potter and Gareth Southgate.
Erik ten Hag not worried about Manchester United sack
Ten Hag has stated that the Manchester United board are behind him and there is nothing to worry about regarding his future. He claimed everyone knows it is a long-term process and stated that they have faith in those involved.
The Dutchman said after his side's 0-0 draw with Aston Villa (via The Standard):
"We always speak, every week we speak. We are all on board together, on one page, we know what we are working through it's a long-term process. We have come through two very tough away games. This is a team, we showed the belief and faith we have."
Manchester United have picked up just two wins in their opening seven league matches this season. They drew both their matches in the Europa League too, but won 7-0 against Barnsley in the Carabao Cup.