Pundit tells Manchester United it would be madness to sack Erik ten Hag

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on September 29, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Pundit Ally McCoist doesn’t think Manchester United should sack Erik ten Hag as manager.

It was decided weeks after the FA Cup triumph over Man City in May that Ten Hag would remain in charge for a third season. He was subsequently handed a one-year extension to his current deal.

After a terrible start to the season, Ten Hag is under mounting pressure at Old Trafford, with reports suggesting he has two games to save his job.

United are positioned 13th after losing three out of their first six games, which included consecutive 3-0 home defeats against Liverpool and Tottenham.

As a result, United are losing ground on the top four race before it even begins. It doesn’t help that Chelsea have started the new campaign strongly and Brighton are in a much more comfortable position.

While there has been calls for Ten Hag’s sack, in parts of the media, McCoist reckons that won’t address the deeper issues that exist at United.

Speaking to talkSPORT Bet, as per the Manchester Evening News, he said: “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 added: “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 untilChristmas.”

McCoist went on to claim that United have been one of the poorest teams in the Premier League this season. Not only were we outclassed by Liverpool and Tottenham, Brighton also made an example of us and how we’ve been wasteful in front of goal.

“Manchester United have been one of the most disappointing sides in the Premier League this season. They were outclassed by Liverpool, beaten by Brighton, and already after just five matches we’ve seen for definite that they’ve got no chance of winning the league.

“Their best hope of winning something this season is one of the cups, that’s where they are at the moment. They have to start improving. From the manager’s point of view, performances need to improve and they need to start taking points off those sides higher up the table.

“There’s no doubt that both the performances and results need to improve. United are a club that has to be taking three points off the rest of the teams outside the big six on a consistent basis.

“They always get beaten by Manchester City and Liverpool and Arsenal will, probably, beat them this season. The most worrying thing for me is the gulf in class that was so apparent in their loss to Liverpool.”

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