The Manchester United boss sees his future at Old Trafford in the balance despite winning the FA Cup and has now compared his situation to Arne Slot as he prepares to take over at Liverpool
Erik ten Hag may be fighting for his Manchester United future – but the Dutchman has aimed a thinly-veiled dig at new Liverpool boss Arne Slot.
The Dutchman, who will discover his Old Trafford fate this week after leading United to an unlikely FA Cup triumph at the weekend, reckons Slot’s record at Feyenoord has been overhyped when compared to the job being done by Peter Bosz at new Eredivisie champions PSV Eindhoven.
And he then doubled down on Jurgen Klopp ’s successor by suggesting Slot has struck lucky by inheriting a squad at Anfield that is ready to challenge for honours. “People have been going overly lyrical about Feyenoord,” said Ten Hag.
“Feyenoord were steady this year, but not top. PSV Eindhoven were two classes better in all areas. In terms of dominating the ball, in terms of putting pressure, in terms of intensity, you name it.
“Bosz and his staff did that top notch, but the rest of the club is also well put together. PSV Eindhoven were better than the rest by such a long distance, even so much better than Feyenoord.”
United produced a huge shock at Wembley on Saturday by beating Premier League champions Manchester City 2-1 against all the odds. Ten Hag then delivered a passionate defence of his reign by pointing out he has won trophies in each of his two seasons at Old Trafford.
The Dutchman also claimed United were in a “mess” when he arrived from Ajax in the summer of 2022 after a decade of underachievement following Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.
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But United finished eighth in the Premier League after Ten Hag’s plans to build on last year’s third-placed finish were undermined by a catalogue of injuries. He reckons Slot will have no such worries after Klopp undertook a squad rebuild at Anfield last summer.
In an interview with Dutch publication Voetbal International, Ten Hag said: “Jurgen and (assistant) Pep Lijnders have left behind a strong foundation. He (Slot) comes into a better position than I did at the time when I went to Manchester United from the Netherlands.
“In terms of structure at the club, in terms of balance in the selection. Last year they (Liverpool) had a transition in the team. Then guys like Fabinho and Jordan Henderson left. Last season at Liverpool, they also had a bit of the year we had now, with a lot of injuries.”
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