Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler says Erik ten Hag is under immense pressure at Manchester United and that Sir Jim Ratcliffe may have already found his replacement.
Writing in his column, Robbie Fowler said: “Ten Hag won’t win the Premier League this season and he could be the first manager to go. Only Eddie Howe is above him in the Premier League sack race but I think that’s only because he could be the England manager.”
“Ten Hag’s vote of confidence from Manchester United’s new ‘decision-makers’ in the summer, Jim Ratcliffe? That was as leaky as the roof of Old Trafford. It took Ratcliffe ages to decide whether or not to sack the manager, then when he did, Ten Hag was on holiday. Then they announced he had signed a new contract, but when you look at the detail, all United have done is activate a 12-month clause in his existing deal to tie him down until 2025. This wasn’t a proper vote of confidence. “
“Ten Hag’s job is not safe at Manchester United. There are a lot of factors at play. It’s common knowledge that the club considered a number of potential new managers in the summer, including Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, even Gareth Southgate, even though Ten Hag won the FA Cup and beat Manchester City. Southgate is out of work now after leading England to the Euros, that will only add more pressure on the United manager. “
“Also, the appointment of Ruud van Nistelrooy to the coaching staff adds to the pressure on Ten Hag. You have to wonder how much say Ten Hag had in van Nistelrooy’s appointment because Dan Ashworth and Jason Wilcox have now been appointed as director of football and technical director.”
“Van Nistelrooy did a good job as manager at PSV Eindhoven, and he was considered to be a potential successor to Vincent Kompany at Burnley. His arrival provides the club with a ready-made replacement should they need to make a change.”
“United finished eighth last season, their worst position in the Premier League era. They had key players out injured, but having spent almost £400m on new players in Ten Hag’s first two seasons, that can’t be an excuse.”
“A big chunk of that money was spent unwisely, and after spending another £90m on Rasmus Højlund and Joshua Zirkee this summer, Ten Hag can’t say his bosses haven’t backed him in the transfer market.”
“I’ve heard some people say Ten Hag overachieved in his first season by winning the Carabao Cup and qualifying for the Champions League. I don’t think so because we are talking about Manchester United. “
“A top-four finish will be hard this season because I think Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa are all stronger. But it has to be the minimum expectation for Ten Hag, and if United don’t hit the ground running in the first few weeks of the season, he will be under pressure to keep his job again.”
This article is from a user submission and does not represent the views of Soccer News Pick. If you repost it, please indicate the source: https://www.soccernewspick.com/premier-league/18809.html
