Gary Neville makes Erik ten Hag sack claim with three ‘defining’ Man Utd games picked out
Club legend Gary Neville has picked out three “defining” games for Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag as he looks to save his job.
Ten Hag enjoyed a strong debut season at Man Utd as they won the Carabao Cup and qualified for the Champions League last term.
The Dutchman has found this season far more difficult, though. He has had a major injury crisis to contend with but they exited the Carabao Cup and Champions League disappointingly and currently sit sixth in the Premier League.
Man Utd have been drawn to face Liverpool in the next round of the FA Cup so they are at serious risk of finishing this season without a trophy.
Major changes are in the process of being made at Man Utd as Sir Jim Ratcliffe recently purchased a 27.7% stake in the Premier League giants.
The INEOS chief is not United’s new majority stakeholder but he has taken control of footballing matters at Old Trafford and he has a big decision to make with Ten Hag before next season.
Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Liverpool are already searching for a new manager so Man Utd may not have the first pick of available managers if Ratcliffe leaves it too late before deciding on Ten Hag’s future.
Man Utd face Man City at the Etihad on Sunday afternoon and Neville thinks this is the first of three “defining games” for Ten Hag.
“Ten Hag’s got two [games] against Liverpool and one against City. I do think they’re defining games,” Neville said on Sky Sports.
“The new owners will probably make their call after those games.”
Roy Keane added: “It’s a huge few months coming up for the manager.
“Ten Hag is trying to get that confidence from the new owners. They have dug in and got results.
“United will have to be at their very best today. There’s huge pressure on the manager.”
READ MORE: Erik ten Hag hits 100 Man Utd games with better record than Ferguson, Busby…
Former Netherlands and Ajax star Wim Kieft suspects Ten Hag is “in his last year” as Man Utd manager.
“Ten Hag did not manage to get his way of playing at United … The football at Manchester United is still not worth watching and that is why I expect Ten Hag to be in his last year. The environment in which he has to work at United is also completely different from that at City,” Kieft wrote for De Telegraaf.
“You see a certain atmosphere among the neighbours, there is a true football culture and everything at the top resembles a team. Txiki Begiristain is the technical director and, apart from Guardiola, he works with more former Barcelona people.
“United hasn’t had a team like that for a long time. There must be something seriously wrong with that club. Because Mourinho and Van Gaal were not small trainers who died there either.”
