Michael Owen believes Manchester United must sack Erik ten Hag and make Steve McClaren caretaker manager for the remainder of the season.
The former United striker was speaking after United were thumped 4-0 away at Crystal Palace on Monday night.
Owen was joined by United legend Paul Scholes as the pair analysed another dismal result on the road as the Reds fell to a 4-0 defeat at Selhurst Park.
The away end were in fine voice, and Ten Hag took the time to acknowledge their non-stop support in his post-match interview.
Ten Hag’s future is under serious doubt after a poor season, but United still have an FA Cup final to look forward to. It has been difficult to look at that game against City with any positivity because our form guide reads so poorly.
It’s not good enough that we are struggling to win games against beatable opponents. I know there’s a lot of injuries but we are going into games with a horrid defeatist attitude and it doesn’t bode well before our trip to Wembley at the end of the month.
Scholes said that United’s latest defeat at Selhurst Park felt like the ‘final nail in the coffin’ for Ten Hag and that the Dutchman is on ‘borrowed time’ at Old Trafford as INEOS look to shake things up.
He told Premier League Productions (via Daily Mail): “Tonight almost felt like a final nail in the coffin. There was a lack of knowhow in the team, a lack of effort, going to a team like Crystal Palace, who to be fair are a good team and are doing well, but Manchester United shouldn’t be going there and losing 4-0.
“I felt for a while he (Ten Hag) might get another year and work for a club that has calmed down a little by the new owners but it doesn’t feel like that now.
“I thought who is out there to replace him? With Thomas Tuchel saying he’s leaving Bayern Munich, I don’t think that creates a bigger problem for him (Ten Hag) as the problems are there anyway, I think it’s quite plain to see that he’s on borrowed time.
“Sometimes you get those moments where you think this is the end. I remember Ole Gunnar (Solskjaer) at Watford away, 4-1, it felt very similar to me, it felt like the end.”
The conversation continued between Scholes and Owen in the studio. The former midfield fears United won’t get a win from their remaining league fixtures against Arsenal, Newcastle and Brighton.
There’s also an FA Cup final against City on the horizon and Owen thinks we are going to get ‘annihilated’ by Pep Guardiola’s side. He also believes Arsenal will ‘smash’ us to bits.
Owen demanded immediate change and agreed with Scholes’ response that former England manager and current assistant at Old Trafford, McClaren, should take on the reigns until the end of the season and lead United to Wembley.
McClaren worked with both players during their careers. For Scholes, he was assistant to Sir Alex Ferguson during the famous treble season, while Owen played under him for England.
Bizarrely, Owen and Scholes believe that McClaren has no part to play in United’s coaching or approach to games. There is even a claim that he has been frozen out by Ten Hag.
Owen said: “There is no way his fingerprints are anywhere near that team. He is a brilliant coach and that team is not being coached at all.”
Scholes added: “He’s not touching that team. The manager must not be letting him touch that team because everyone thinks we were a great team that attacked everybody (Manchester United) but Steve McLaren put sessions on to make sure we stopped other teams, getting the distances and angles right.”
Owen continued: “There is no way that he has anything to do with coaching that team, it’s impossible because that team is absolutely clueless right the way through it.
“There is not one thing that I think ‘that works’ in that team. Steve McLaren is a top operator and I can only think that other people are coaching the team and he’s a bystander.
“They will get smashed out of the ballpark by every team they still have to play, playing like that today. Manchester City are going to demoralise them at Wembley in front of millions of people it’s embarrassing.
“Something has got to change. I think it’s got to change now there are too many big games. This could decide European football next season, this is a trophy.”
Unless they have been well sourced snippets of information, which we have reason to doubt, I would be shocked if McClaren didn’t have a big say in some of Ten Hag’s decisions.
Ten Hag is regularly seen speaking to McClaren at games. There is nothing to suggest they don’t value one another’s opinion and it seems bizarre to suggest otherwise.
McClaren is a valued member of Ten Hag’s staff and I’m sure he wants nothing more than Ten Hag to turn his fortunes around at Old Trafford. That’s what we all want, right?
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