Erik ten Hag knows how players feel about him

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2 months ago

Erik ten Hag knows how players feel about him

Erik ten Hag cut a lonely figure on the Old Trafford touchline at the weekend, as his Man United side were battered by Tottenham Hotspur.

Former Red Devil, Gary Neville, called the performance “disgusting” and many other things on his Gary Neville podcast, recorded directly after the match when he was clearly still seething at what he’d seen from his old club.

United coach, Ruud van Nistelrooy was a passive presence on the bench, with his nemesis, Martin Keown, questioning whether he was trying to get ten Hag the sack.

Erik ten Hag could be on the brink at Man United

Benni McCarthy, who has worked alongside ten Hag too, has questioned the Dutchman’s lack of passion, suggesting that players want someone on the bench with a bit of fire and authority.

Whilst McCarthy’s comments may strike a chord with some of the United first-team, ten Hag does still have the support of his senior players according to The Telegraph (subscription required).

Ultimately, it is the players that will dictate whether ten Hag falls on his sword or not, for it is their standards of performance on which the manager will be judged.

Erik ten Hag during Man United’s defeat to Tottenham (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

It’s believed that the two games before the international break, against Porto in the Europa League and Aston Villa in the Premier League, could seal his fate.

Were Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his board to decide it’s time to look elsewhere, United’s long-suffering supporters might want to direct their ire to those players out on the pitch.