Why Erik ten Hag must stay as Manchester United's manager
Here are my thoughts on United's current season.
Manchester United’s board has started reviewing whether United manager Erik ten Hag will continue at the club next season. Reports speculate the review will look at his tenure over the past two years at United to see if he is suitable for the job.
Ten Hag, whose team finished eighth in the Premier League, has won the FA Cup against their rivals Manchester City in a 2-1 win. Last season Ten Hag won the Carabao Cup with what many United fans would describe as the worst United team in history.
Despite the difficult season, Ten Hag should get an extra year on his contract to continue with his project at United. The cycle of sacking a manager every three years must end. Every manager has repeated the same cycle over the past decade at the club.
A new manager arrives at Old Trafford which gives the fans a sense of excitement and signs brand new players from big clubs from across Europe. During the second year, the board doesn’t give the financial backing he needs to compete in the Champions League. Finally, in the third year, he gets the sack.
Ten Hag, who is currently in his second season at the club, has had to deal with the worst injury record in the league. United have had more than 60 injuries to first-team players and played more than 50 combinations at centre-back this season. He has had no control over this issue, however, he has managed to over-achieve.
Winning an FA Cup this season against the club’s rivals City is a huge moment for the team. Especially winning it with two youth talents Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo. There hasn’t been a manager at United who has done this since Sir Alex Ferguson.
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Do I think the results at United this season have been great? Obviously no, but you don’t need to be the CEO of a chemical company, have an MBA, or have been an executive at a European football club like Juventus to see what the issues are at United.
United’s fitness department needs new investment, including finding talent at centre-back, left-back and central-defensive midfield, and finally selling players who are unable to meet the physical demands of the Premier League.
These issues are not going away by sacking the manager. Reports suggest Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino and Kieran McKenna are the frontrunners for the job if Ten Hag gets sacked.
All these managers are unsuitable. Tuchel, who got Bayern Munich third this season in the Bundesliga, has won the Champions League with Chelsea. But, has fallen out with every executive at Chelsea and Bayern.
Pochettino hasn’t won any major trophy in his career, while McKenna has never managed a team in a European competition and has no Premier League experience.
There is only one option that INEOS must make.
They must keep Ten Hag as United’s manager. The longer the club waits to decide on his future is wasted time in this upcoming transfer market. INEOS needs to appoint a director of football to make decisions regarding transfers and sales at the club. Reports suggest INEOS are interested in tapping up Newcastle United’s director of football Dan Ashworth which will cost 15 million pounds. Removing Ten Hag will cost 10 million. How is helping the club compete against teams such as Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool?
If INEOS wants to be different to the Glazer family they must start listening to a majority of the fans who want to see what this project will deliver.
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