Man Utd: Erik ten Hag sack is ‘inevitable’ with ‘one foot outside’ Old Trafford already

Joe Williams
Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag
Erik ten Hag is under pressure after the Red Devils dropped points at Brentford.

Erik ten Hag has ‘one foot outside’ of Man Utd following their 1-1 draw against Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday, according to reports.

The Red Devils threw away a 1-0 lead versus the Bees as they dropped two points in their effort to qualify for the Champions League via the Premier League’s top four.

Erik ten Hag is under pressure after Brentford draw

Man Utd took an undeserved lead through Mason Mount in the sixth minute of stoppage time but Kristoffer Ajer swept home three minutes later to give Brentford a point.

Ten Hag’s side are now 11 points adrift of fourth-placed Aston Villa, who beat Wolves 2-0 on Saturday, and the pressure is building on the Dutchman to show he can get good performances and results from the current group of players.

Jamie Redknapp was not impressed by what he saw from Man Utd and the former Liverpool midfielder reckons the current group of players look like they will get Ten Hag sacked.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Redknapp said: “I’ve watched Manchester United under Erik ten Hag. I don’t know what their way of playing is.

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“I don’t know whether they play out from the back. They tried to do at times and they pass the ball to the keeper and he lumps it up the pitch. Do they do that for effect?

“I know they haven’t necessarily had all the back four that they would like and if you’ve got [Lisandro] Martinez and [Raphael] Varane, it helps you build.

“But I don’t know what the Man United way of playing is. They had so many opportunities today, Brentford, they were just better in every single department.

“And there’s lots of talk about the manager. Will he still be here next year?

“I think the way that the players are playing right now and that kind of performance, they’re going to decide because they’re the sort of performances that get the manager the sack, because there was a lack of effort.

“And if they really liked this manager, if they want to play for him, they will do that.

“I saw so many players just walking around, strolling around and not looking like they care. And they play for one of the biggest clubs in the world.

“And that for me, it shouldn’t really ever happen. There’s too many of them.”

Redknapp added: “They gave up so much possession. There was a lack of energy with the ball, without the ball. They just made Brentford look like Real Madrid.

“That’s what I felt like I was watching. That shouldn’t have been the case. The way that Manchester United were was just so off it.

“The lack of desire to go win individual battles. It was too easy for them. It was almost as if Man United had nine men.”

On Ten Hag’s future, Redknapp continued: “It was another difficult result for Manchester United yesterday, so what does this mean for Erik ten Hag’s future as we continue to see new managers linked with the job at Old Trafford?

“It’s something normal when you have new (co) owners to discuss the manager position internally. Conversations between INEOS and Ten Hag have always been good and positive in the recent months; but results in the final two months will be important to make a decision on Ten Hag. Also, Man United want to finalise their board structure before making any final decision on the manager.

“As I said last week, there have also not been any talks between United and Gareth Southgate, despite rumours. Let’s see how the season ends for Ten Hag, with nothing being decided now.”

Ten Hag sack at Man Utd is ‘inevitable’

And now Spanish website Fichajes insists that Ten Hag has ‘one foot outside’ Man Utd and after the Brentford result his job at Old Trafford ‘is in danger’.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Man Utd board’s patience with Ten Hag ‘seems to be reaching its limit’ with Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi and England’s Gareth Southgate ‘possible successors’.

Replacing Ten Hag in the summer now seems ‘inevitable’ with the Man Utd board set to make a ‘crucial decision that could redefine the club’s direction’.