Neville expects Ten Hag to be ‘given some time’ at Man Utd

Dan Butterfield
Ex-Manchester United captain Gary Neville

Gary Neville expects Manchester United to given the time needed to new manager Erik Ten Hag once he takes charge in the summer.

The Ajax manager was announced as the club’s next permanent boss on Thursday morning, signing a three year contract with the Red Devils.


Mailbox tips for Ten Hag at Man Utd


United have a huge rebuild needed after yet another disappointing season at Old Trafford. A number of players are likely to depart this summer, with many of them leaving on free transfers.

Investment into the squad is likely and much has been made of whether or not Ten Hag will be given the sufficient time to oversee the rebuilding job.

However, former United captain Neville, believes that, despite the ‘massive job’ he faces, he will be given enough time.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Neville said: “I think he’ll be given some time. He’s got a massive job on and he’s at a club in Ajax who are very different to Manchester United, so he’ll have to adapt.

“The spotlight is obviously a lot greater and scrutiny is a lot greater at Manchester United. And there’s an element of risk to that. He doesn’t know football too well in this country.

“But he’s worked in different countries, he’s got a philosophy he believes in and he’s got to come over here and be his own man and do his own job.

“I’ve been very critical of everything at Manchester United at the moment, but particularly the owners, the culture, the approach to the last 10 years. It’s been a pretty poor 10 years of repeated failure. So he’s got a massive job.

“It’s a huge job, a big ask to come in. And not just because of where Manchester United are currently at but what’s happening at the other clubs in the Premier League in this moment in time.”

On United’s recruitment, Neville slammed their recent investment decisions and tipped interim boss Ralf Rangnick to provide Ten Hag with an assessment of the state of the current United dressing room.

“It’s the most important job in a football club. If you get the players wrong you’re struggling. Man Utd have repeatedly flip-flopped over a 10-year period to different philosophies.

“There have been moments that I believed they were on the right track but how it’s unravelled in the last 8-10 months, from being in a Europa League final to where it is now is alarming.

“I can’t explain it. I don’t think any Man Utd fan can explain it or probably anyone inside the club can explain why it’s gone from a level that wasn’t at the very top but certainly going in the right direction to a point where that dressing room looks broken in spirit, in energy, in belief in each other, in likeability of each other as a group.

“Rangnick has had four or five months to assess that dressing room. I’m pretty certain they’ll be having pretty direct conversations about who he needs to get rid of.

“It’s on the tip of Rangnick’s tongue in every single interview he does and you feel like he’s going to go rogue at some point and start calling players out.

“He’s doing it in groups, he’s not doing it individually yet, but there’s no doubt Rangnick will be passing on that very specific information about who Ten Hag needs to get rid of and I’m sure Ten Hag will listen and buy into that.”