The Manchester United players are split on the future of Erik ten Hag, though they are in agreement about one big issue currently affecting the side, while club chiefs have reportedly decided against appointing Gareth Southgate next.
According to Man Utd reporter Andy Mitten, who claims to have spoken with several members of the first-team squad, no player was willing to fully back Ten Hag or call for his head at the end of last season. But one problem that is clearly frustrating everyone at Old Trafford is the manner in which opposition teams are finding space and ‘carving us open’.
“An hour after the FA Cup final win, I spoke to half a dozen of United players outside the dressing room and asked them about the manager,” Mitten told The Athletic.
“The words weren’t being recorded. Not one said the manager should absolutely be sacked. And not one said he should absolutely stay…
“Yet there were clear issues between players and manager about his style. One of them said: ‘You cannot have teams in the relegation zone like Sheffield [United] and Burnley coming to Old Trafford and carving us open’.”
Man Utd stars clearly unhappy
Despite enduring a season to forget in 2023-24, Sheff Utd twice took the lead at Man Utd in April before Bruno Fernandes inspired his side to a 4-2 victory.
Three days later, Ten Hag’s men put in another underwhelming performance as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Burnley, who ended up getting relegated just like Sheff Utd.
While the comments from those Man Utd players are now a few months old, Mitten has disclosed them amid increasing pressure on Ten Hag.
Man Utd ended up sticking with the Dutchman in the summer, despite taking a look at potential successors such as Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino. But 3-0 home defeats against Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur in recent weeks may have Man Utd officials regretting their decision.
Former England boss Southgate has repeatedly been named as a candidate for the Man Utd job, should Ten Hag be sacked. However, as per several sources including Sky Sports and Man Utd news site Muppetiers, Man Utd do not intend to hire Southgate.
They are aware that appointing the 54-year-old would not please large sections of the fanbase. While Southgate is one of the most successful England managers of all time, having helped his country to reach two European Championship finals, the coach has frustrated supporters with his rather defensive style of play.
This will of course lead to questions about who else might replace Ten Hag, should the likes of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Jason Wilcox decide to pull the trigger.
The Italian press have named ex-Juventus boss Max Allegri – who is currently a free agent – and Inter Milan head coach Simone Inzaghi as candidates.
Sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk that Ten Hag’s No 2, Ruud van Nistelrooy, is being lined up to take the job an interim basis in the near future.
Should Van Nistelrooy do well, then there is a chance he will be given the job permanently. The legendary former striker already has the love of the Man Utd supporters, while he also impressed during a previous spell in charge of PSV.
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Pundit Ally McCoist has given his verdict on the Man Utd manager situation, explaining why he thinks they should stick with Ten Hag.
“It’s difficult to say how long United should give Ten Hag because they’ve only just extended his contract. With the new owners giving him that new deal, it would make sense for them to stick with him no matter what happens in the foreseeable future,” he said.
“It would be madness to give him a new contract and then get rid of him straight away, that wouldn’t make any sense whatsoever.
“Unless there’s a rapid and unbelievable decline in results and standards, I think Ten Hag will be in charge at least until Christmas.”
Meanwhile, Man Utd are at risk of missing out on one of their transfer targets to Liverpool.
Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite remains on Ratcliffe’s wish list at Man Utd, despite the summer arrivals of centre-backs Leny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt.
As per the latest from the Daily Mail, Liverpool are stepping up their hunt for Branthwaite as they try to beat Man Utd to his services.
Liverpool could even swoop for the 22-year-old centre-half in January to ensure he arrives at Anfield.
Arne Slot’s side will have to pay big money though as Everton will not want to sell him to their local rivals on the cheap. A bid worth around £75million (€90m / US$99.7m) is thought to be required to strike a deal.
How do Ten Hag and Southgate compare?
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