Manchester United chiefs the Glazers and Sir Jim Ratcliffe have been called out for taking an age to declare whether they plan to back or sack Erik ten Hag, amid claims an announcement on the Dutchman’s future could finally arrive on Wednesday.
It’s now 11 days since Manchester United stunned Wembley and the watching world by pulling together arguably their best performance under Ten Hag’s reign to defeat Manchester City 2-1 in the FA Cup final to win their second trophy of his reign and also deny their noisy neighbours the double Double. But in the time that has followed, the silence has been defeaning…
Going into that game, Ten Hag – whose future has been the subject of strong speculation for pretty much the entirity of this season and certainly since their dismal Champions League campaign – will have been well aware of strong reports that emerged claiming he would be sacked regardless of how the cup final at Wembley panned out.
And with our correspondent Fraser Gillan reporting back in March that many at Old Trafford felt Ten Hag was a deadman walking, it only appeared a matter of when, not if, the axe would fall on the Dutchman’s reign.
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The final nail in his coffin appeared to come down at Selhurst Park when a 4-0 trouncing against Crystal Palace only served to reinforce suggestions that United’s players had simply stopped playing for him.
Furthermore, their kamikaze tactics – which resulted in Liverpool managing a colossal 90 shots at their goal across three meetings this season – suggested the Dutchman’s gameplan was not suited to success in the Premier League.
Ten Hag sack: D-day set to arrive
Yet some 11 days after their cup final success – their second trophy in two seasons under Ten Hag – the Dutchman is still waiting to learn his fate.
In the immediate aftermath of their Wembley triumph, Ten Hag called out Ratcliffe and Co to ‘let him leave and win trophies somewhere else’ if they did not want to continue with him at the United helm.
Since then, there has been claims and counter-claims over what will happen next. TEAMtalk’s understanding of the situation is that technical director Jason Wilcox, who had undergone a thorough audit of the Dutchman’s suitability to continue, had recommended the removal of Ten Hag as manager.
However, their win at Wembley, which proved both Ten Hag can compete tactically against the best and that his players can show for him when called upon, has given Ratcliffe a major headache.
As a result, the British billionaire continues to deliberate over his next move and what to do for the best. Quite simply, would a better squad of players and the removal of problematic elements in the United squad actually result in a major improvement again next season?
While the club has sounded out a number of candidates, none of them have yet reached the stage where they are ready to offer those would-be managers the job. That situation is further complicated by the very fact Ten Hag remains in situ for now: a chicken and egg situation.
However, amid all the conjecture there is a belief that, with Ten Hag soon back from the holiday he went on in the immediate aftermath of the cup final victory, together with the transfer window due to open in just nine days time, a decision on Ten Hag’s future will be reached this week – and potentially as soon as Wednesday.
Man Utd chief Ratcliffe criticised over Ten Hag sack saga
And while it is still not clear if United plan to back or sack Ten Hag, controversial pundit and YouTuber Mark Goldbridge – a well-known figure to United fans – has come out and strongly condemned both the Glazers and Ratcliffe for what he calls their “weak” handling of the situation.
Taking aim at the owners, he has labelled the situation “embarrassing, indecisive, unprofessional, disrespectful, and completely out of touch with what the majority of United fans want”.
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He then went on to explain on The United Stand: “It’s really disrespectful to the fans and to the manager that is currently in place.
“Whether you are ‘Ten Hag in’ like the majority or Ten Hag out’ like the minority, it matters not. Surely we are totally and utterly united by the fact that whether you want this manager to go or stay, it is bloody inefficient and embarrassing how we are taking so long to make a decision like this.”
Goldbridge then went on to compare United’s dithering to clubs such as Crystal Palace and Watford who act with far quicker efficiency and decisiveness when it comes to making a change at the top.
Goldbridge also feels the Glazers are continuing to pull strings in the background, adding: “I mean, this is just cowardly.
“If they sack him in the next few days, I’ll call them out for what they are: weak. They should have done it before the FA Cup final if they were going to do it at all.”
Suggesting Ten Hag deserves the right to stay, Goldbridge has urged Ratcliffe to stand by the Dutchman, concluding: “The vast majority of the fan base wants to see what happens in year three under Ten Hag. We want to build on that. We want to get working on that.”