Ten Hag’s Manchester United Era Nearing Its End
Erik ten Hag has reached an untenable situation at Manchester United. The latest leak from the dressing room suggests that most of the players have lost confidence in the Manchester United manager and many do not believe he will be in the job at the start of pre-season in the summer.
Is the Dutchman a bad coach? Absolutely not. His Ajax side were a thing of beauty and the way they dominated Champions League heavyweights Real Madrid in Europe suggested that a master tactician carefully crafted them.
Manchester United in Disarray
However, Manchester United have been a club in disarray for more than a decade now. Until recently, a club of their size didn’t have a proper technical director or sporting director of any stature or note. The changes INEOS are trying to carry out will bear fruit in the next few years but Ten Hag was working under probably the most outdated football structure overseen by owners who only had interest in the club’s bottom line. It is no surprise he trusted his judgement on prospective new signings rather than place his faith in the club’s hierarchy when it comes to transfers.
Embed from Getty ImagesHowever, the winds of change at Old Trafford will likely blow him away too. The statistics for this season are not a pretty reading – 19 defeats in all competitions, 82 goals conceded, in line to get fewer points than the ‘David Moyes Season’ – it has been a nightmare of a campaign. The fear is he has probably withdrawn all the credit he earned from winning the Carabao Cup and finishing third in the Premier League last season.
The Ten Hag Dilemma
His team have been poor all season. Yes, injuries have not helped but he fielded his best starting eleven on the opening day of the season and everyone would agree Manchester United were lucky to beat Wolves at Old Trafford on that day. Performances throughout the season have been at various levels of dreadful. There are only a handful of games where you could truly say Manchester United produced a complete performance.
Embed from Getty ImagesWith all that in the background and the fact that new management has taken charge of the club, it’s hard to see how Erik Ten Hag will survive until the start of next season. INEOS has brought in a new CEO, CFO, technical director and sporting director. Why wouldn’t they bring in a new manager?
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