Manchester United legends Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand have backed their former club for sacking manager Erik ten Hag – while Bruno Fernandes has thanked him and broadcaster Piers Morgan has reminded supporters about Cristiano Ronaldo’s warning over the Dutchman.
Ten Hag was axed on Monday after a dreadful start to the third season of his underachieving tenure at Old Trafford, leaving the 20-time champions 14th in the table with four wins in 14 games in all competitions.
Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos Group, who took over the footballing operations of the club in February, triggered a one-year extension in Ten Hag’s contract in July despite the 54-year-old overseeing a lowly eighth-placed finish in 2023-24.
Ten Hag sacked 😱😱😱😱
— Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) October 28, 2024
Man Like Ruud 🔥
— Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) October 28, 2024
📰 Table Of Contents
Ferdinand: Ineos ‘backed into corner’
“It’s mad,” said former Red Devils centre-back Ferdinand, adding that United’s surprise FA Cup final win over Manchester City last season had delayed Ten Hag’s fate.
“Ineos have come in to control the football operations and this is their second big decision. The first they had to make was whether to keep Ten Hag after the season was finished.
“The FA Cup win obviously changed their judgement, because they were interviewing managers. Now they’ve made the call that a new manager is needed.
“Did they back themselves into a corner with the way they handled stuff in the summer? They’ll look back and say they could have handled it better.”
“I would be asking questions about that, as an owner.”
Gary Neville says that Manchester United have ‘lacked’ identity and style over the last two seasons 😮 pic.twitter.com/CiRsTWFrMD
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 28, 2024
Neville: Ten Hag ‘struggle’
Neville has been an outspoken critic of Ten Hag in his role as a Sky Sports pundit, savaging United’s display in their humiliating 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham on September 29.
The result ramped up the pressure on Ten Hag, who has overseen one win in five games since and led United to draws in each of their opening three Europa League matches.
The former Ajax manager reiterated his belief that injuries and refereeing decisions were costing his side after their 2-1 defeat at West Ham on Sunday.
Eight different people have taken charge of Manchester United since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure 😲 pic.twitter.com/aopOGDrXxc
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) October 28, 2024
“The lack of identity and style is something that’s been a mystery for the last two-and-a-half seasons,” Neville said of Ten Hag’s reign, speaking to Sky Sports News.
“I do believe there are a group of players there who can play a lot better. I was shocked to see Erik play Casemiro in midfield with [£42.1m August signing Manuel] Ugarte on the bench.
“Ugarte was brought in as the successor to Casemiro. He’s not started brilliantly but if I was an owner, looking at that… I would be asking questions.
“It’s a real struggle watching United, and that’s not changed over the last 18 months. Unfortunately, I thought it was coming.
“Against Tottenham a few weeks ago, it was the sort of game where I thought I’d seen it before and know how it ends. It was one that shocked everybody. It’s got worse.”
Answer: on the dole queue. pic.twitter.com/4kyxI90O2R
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) October 28, 2024
Piers Morgan: Ten Hag ‘delusional’
Journalist and Arsenal fan Morgan claimed that “every word” Ronaldo had told him during an interview after he was released by United in 2022 had been “born out by events”.
A Champions League and three-time Premier League winner with United, Ronaldo had returned to the club for a second time but was one of the first players to leave during Ten Hag’s first season.
Ronaldo told Morgan that Ten Hag “didn’t have respect for me” and criticised the coach in a separate later interview for suggesting that United could not win the Champions League.
“He was an over-promoted, delusional, disrespectful and thoroughly mediocre manager who couldn’t handle world-class talent or run a club that size,” Morgan told his millions of Twitter followers.
Ferdinand, who was a United team-mate of Ronaldo alongside Neville, agreed. “It makes sense now,” he said. “Cristiano will be sitting there, having a little cup of tea, going ‘now you understand’.
“What Cristiano was trying to tell us, in a roundabout way – quite directly, at times – was that he didn’t think this was the guy to do the things at United that we need.”
“I appreciate the trust and the moments we share together, I wish you all the best for the future 🙌”
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes responds via Instagram to Erik ten Hag’s departure. pic.twitter.com/RbM9ARMo8w
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 28, 2024
Bruno Fernandes thanks Ten Hag
United captain Bruno Fernandes thanked Ten Hag on Instagram. “I appreciate the trust and the moments we shared together,” said the playmaker.
“Even knowing the [recent] period hasn’t been great from all of us, I hope you fans can keep with you the good things the manager has done for the club.”
Ex-United centre-back Pat McGibbon was concerned by United’s instability. “Worrying times as another manager goes,” he said. “Fingers crossed the ownership have some clarity in their vision.”
Worrying times at @ManUtd as another manager goes.😞 Fingers crossed the ownership have some clarity in their vision.🤞❤️🤍🖤
— Pat McGibbon (@pmgsportservic1) October 28, 2024
Rinse and repeat at Man United. Difficult to argue with the decision but the problem is lack of top class managers around. Whoever comes in takes over a group of players bought by a few different managers as well. Team has had a lack of identity for so long due to constant change
— Danny Higginbotham (@Higginbotham05) October 28, 2024
Danny Higginbotham, who played for the club between 1997 and 2000, called the sacking a case of “rinse and repeat at Man United”.
“Difficult to argue with the decision but the problem is lack of top-class managers around,” he added. “Whoever comes in takes over a group of players bought by a few different managers, as well. The team has had a lack of identity for so long due to constant change.”
Van Nistelrooy in?
Ferdinand backed Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was brought in as a coach during the summer and has taken over on an interim basis, to have an impact and suggested that Ineos may have recruited him partly as a result of their doubts about Ten Hag.
The 45-year-old also rued what he sees as a missed opportunity to bring in Thomas Tuchel before the former Bayern Munich and Chelsea manager was named as England’s new boss earlier this month.
“One win in eight games isn’t great,” said Ferdinand. “I don’t think [Ten Hag] or anyone else will be surprised by this.
“My big thing is that it’s taken so long. One of the main best candidates who was sitting out there was Thomas Tuchel, and he’s gone now.”
“I don’t think anybody will be truly shocked,” echoed Neville. “The big shock, for me, is just how bad they’ve been with the new signings.
“I felt they would have enough to get a decent level of performance together. You can’t be 14th, with the level of spend, without being under pressure.”
