Man Utd: Erik ten Hag sack is ‘inevitable’ with ‘one foot outside’ Old Trafford already
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.
READ MORE: Neville, Ferdinand ‘living in the past’ as Man Utd are ‘lucky to be sixth’ as Ten Hag sack claim is made
“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?
Related video: Erik ten Hag admits Manchester United draw at Brentford could prove 'expensive' (Daily Mail)
and that is my big disappointment that you you have
“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’.
Man Utd forward ripped to shreds, with pundits ‘amazed’ by obvious ‘lack of effort’
Pundits Jamie Redknapp and Dion Dublin could not believe what they saw from Manchester United against Brentford, with Marcus Rashford in particular coming in for big criticism.
Man Utd were lucky to pick up a point at Brentford on Saturday night, as the Bees hit the woodwork four times and kept goalkeeper Andre Onana busy. The Red Devils thought they had completed a late smash and grab when Mason Mount scored in the sixth minute of second-half injury time, finishing on his left foot after being set up by Casemiro.
However, Mount’s first Man Utd goal did not prove to be the winner, as Brentford showed fantastic spirit and determination to drag themselves level three minutes later.
Ivan Toney got away from both Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro in the box before pulling it back for Kristoffer Ajer, who made no mistake with the finish.
Following the 1-1 draw, Redknapp admitted he was ‘amazed’ by how badly Man Utd played, with Rashford and some of his team-mates putting in nowhere near enough effort.
“I think Man Utd fans will have probably been really looking forward to tonight after a brilliant result against Liverpool. You thought they might have turned their season around,” the pundit said on Sky Sports.
DON’T MISS: How Jarrad Branthwaite compares to Lisandro Martinez as Man Utd consider blockbuster bid
“They have been so bad tonight. I cannot believe the lack of effort, the lack of spark, desire to win individual battles, to make things happen in that team.Related video: 'I have not been at my best' - Fernandes admits he has struggled at Man Utd this season (SNTV)
“We’re watching Marcus Rashford and he’s walking around like it’s a bit of fun out there. It’s the Premier League! You’ve got to try and win games.
Pundits reveals what Man Utd trait ‘hurts me most’
“We’ve been amazed at how poor Manchester United have been.”
Dublin, who was also on Sky Sports’ coverage of the match, added: “As an ex-United player, what’s hurting me most is the reaction to when they lose the ball.
“When they lose the ball it’s very much an, “Ah, my team-mate will get it back!”, and it’s not good enough.
“I don’t care who you’re playing for, whether you’re United or Brentford… if you lose the ball, you get it back.
“I’ve not seen that from Manchester United and it’s disappointing to see.”
READ MORE – Weston McKennie: The rebirth of the Juventus star, why Man Utd now want to sign him and the truths around his Leeds struggles
Man Utd stars told to hold meeting without Erik ten Hag to 'get angry and point fingers'
Manchester United's underperforming stars have been told to hold a team meeting to get to the root of their dreadful displays.
The Red Devils were lucky to escape Saturday's clash with Brentford with a draw, having been dominated by the Bees for much of the game. The hosts had an astonishing 86 touches in United's box, as well as 34 shots.
United thought they had claimed a smash-and-grab win thanks to Mason Mount's 96th-minute strike. Just a few minutes later, though, Brentford equalised to take a point from another lacklustre United performance.
The draw leaves Erik ten Hag's side 11 points adrift of fourth-place Aston Villa, with hopes of qualifying for the Champions League fading. Now, former United star Dion Dublin has urged Ten Hag's struggling squad to hold a players-only meeting to find a way forward.
"I don't know what it is. It has to come from within. I don't think it's from the manager, I don't think it's from the coaching staff. It comes from the players," Dublin told Sky Sports after the Brentford draw.
"It's down to the players in the dressing room. If that happened and we hated doing it, but dressing rooms I played in, the players would be so angry with each other that we would have to say 'right, team meeting Monday morning'.Related video: Man United 'will be ready' for Brentford trip after internationals (SNTV)
get them back in our way of play,
"No manager, no staff, players. And then you can point fingers. And you tell people. Bryan Robson would have done it, said 'not good enough, not good enough, not good enough'. It's not done anymore. Players have to take responsibility and they're not doing it."
HAVE YOUR SAY! Where will Manchester United finish in the Premier League this season? Comment below.
© Ryan Jenkinson/MB Media/Getty Images
United boss Ten Hag admitted that his side were not good enough on Saturday. But he insisted that the point could prove crucial in the race for a European place come the end of the season.
"We were winning in the end, maybe it wasn't deserved but then you have to take the three points so the it is very disappointing to draw the game," Ten Hag told Match of the Day.
"Brentford were better than us today. They showed more passion, desire and determination as we did. The quality of this team is they fight for it, but we have to show more. We scored the goal but then threw it off the line."
"We showed it against Liverpool and in many games. We have to bring it on the pitch. We fought but in the small things, second balls etc, Brentford were more focused and more aggressive and it should be the other way round.
"We were winning, we should compliment the team for that, but then we gave it away and that is very disappointing. There are many games to play. Let's take this point. In the end it could be a very good point."
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Peter Schmeichel slams one Man Utd star over lack of ‘pride’ for Brentford goal
Peter Schmeichel has hit out at Aaron Wan-Bissaka for his role in Brentford’s equaliser as Man Utd drew 1-1 against the Bees on Saturday.
Man Utd did little to turn down the noise surrounding manager Erik Ten Hag’s future after an ultimately dramatic but largely uninspiring draw in west London.
Schmeichel: Brentford ran five kilometres more than Man Utd
They looked to have turned a lifeless display into an unlikely three points after Mason Mount climbed off the bench to fire them ahead six minutes into stoppage time.
But Brentford equalised less than three minutes later through Kristoffer Ajer to snatch a point which was the least they deserved.
Man Utd suggested in his post-match press conference that Brentford “wanted it more” than his players and former Red Devils goalkeeper Schmeichel agreed.
“Mason Mount came on, he’s hardly done anything for Manchester United since he arrived at the club, and so many times we’ve seen in Manchester United’s history, somebody turns out and becomes a hero,” Schmeichel said on SuperSport.
READ MORE: Neville, Ferdinand ‘living in the past’ as Man Utd are ‘lucky to be sixth’ as Ten Hag sack claim is made
“You think that’s one of those moments but in all fairness, that would have been so undeserved had that stood as a 1-0 win.Related video: Erik ten Hag admits Manchester United draw at Brentford could prove 'expensive' (Daily Mail)
you still have to win and we did it almost
“It comes down to a lot of things. You look at the stats, touches in the opposition box, but I’m looking at how much the team work, how much they run.
“Brentford ran five kilometres more and I think that tells a very big story about what this game was all about. They wanted to chase every ball.
“Ivan Toney was just dominating everybody. We changed both our centre-halves, one at half-time and one later, both injured, new guys are coming on and nobody is making their mark. Nobody is really doing what we expect them to do.
“The standards are low. We [Schmeichel and fellow pundit Andy Cole] grew up with Sir Alex Ferguson at the club and you had to be proud of what you did on the pitch. We could lose 1-0 and he would say that was fine because the performance was there.”
Schmeichel: That’s not Manchester United
And Schmeichel accused Wan-Bissaka of “jogging” in the build up to Brentford’s equaliser, the Man Utd legend added: “If you look at Wan-Bissaka on the Brentford goal, and this is what I mean by standards. Wan-Bissaka is out there to the left, the ball gets crossed and now look at him. He’s walking off, walking, walking, he’s jogging!
“And Ivan Toney would have been offside had he followed the back-four line up and then that goal wouldn’t have happened.
“Look at him [Wan-Bissaka] coming out! Look at it!
“That’s not Manchester United, that’s not pride, that’s not high standards. That’s not focussing on what your job is.
“He has cost – not to blame him for this – but in that moment, because of what he did, or didn’t do, a simple thing like concentrating, they equalised.”
READ MORE: Gossip: West Ham set to beat Arsenal, Man Utd to ‘statement’ signing; Chelsea to sell two England stars
Fabrizio Romano confirms Tottenham exit plan after forward’s disastrous deal turns sour
Fabrizio Romano has revealed what Tottenham plan to do with recent signing Alejo Veliz after his loan stint with Sevilla turned sour.
Spurs have set about signing some of the most promising young talent around over recent seasons. Centre-back Ashley Phillips joined from Blackburn Rovers, while Tottenham upset the odds to beat Barcelona to the signature of Swedish sensation Lucas Bergvall in January.
Argentina Under-20 international, Alejo Veliz, has also formed part of the youthful recruitment drive. Tottenham committed to a package worth £13m when bringing the lively young forward to north London last summer.
Veliz featured sparingly in the first half of the current campaign and was duly loaned out to Spanish side Sevilla in January. The idea there was for Veliz to attain regular game-time to hone his craft in a top European league.
However, the move has not panned out as Spurs would have hoped, with Veliz limited to just a trio of appearances in Seville, none of which were starts.
HAVE YOU SEEN: Tottenham to swoop after Chelsea forced into sales of Reece James and Pochettino favourite, as Boehly era hits rock bottom
Totenham’s Veliz plan for 2024/25
Now, according to trusted transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Tottenham are once again set to loan Veliz out next season.
However, amid the forward’s lack of gametime in Spain, Tottenham will demand guarantees over the player’s outlook for regular action when discussing terms with interested clubs.Related video: What's Your Prediction For This Premier-League Season? (FourFourTwo)
Well, my craziest prediction is that Chelsea are going to
READ MORE: Who is Lucas Bergvall? The Swedish gem Tottenham beat Barcelona to sign
“Tottenham are preparing new loan with different plan for Alejo Veliz for next season as he’s not playing at Sevilla,” wrote Romano.
“Spurs want guaranteed game time for Alejo for next year as discussions will follow in the upcoming months. Veliz, set to return from Sevilla in any case.”
While not stated, the inference is Veliz will either join a comparatively weaker league, or will join a weaker team than Sevilla where he’s likely to be further up the pecking order.
DON’T MISS: Tottenham ‘plan to accept’ offer for disgruntled star, as three huge clubs prepare moves
Game over for Ten Hag’s own Man Utd signing, with summer sale greenlit thanks to Kobbie Mainoo
A second source has confirmed that Manchester United will offload Christian Eriksen this summer, with Kobbie Mainoo taking the Dane’s spot in the team.
Following an impressive season back in the Premier League with Brentford, Man Utd snapped up Eriksen on a free transfer in the summer of 2022. Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag knew that Eriksen had the style of play and match intelligence to fit in with his tactics as they both have strong Ajax connections.
Eriksen started the 2023-24 campaign as a regular in Ten Hag’s starting eleven, though he missed seven games between November 26 and December 17 due to a knee issue.
Eriksen has not really been able to force his way back into the fold since then, being left on the bench in seven of Man Utd’s last eight league matches.
One of the reasons for the 32-year-old going through a tough period is that Mainoo’s importance to Man Utd has started to grow. The 18-year-old has proven himself to be a great performer at the highest level and is even in the England side, too.
DON’T MISS: Ranking the 10 best goals Cristiano Ronaldo has scored, incl Man Utd free-kicks, Real Madrid bicycleRelated video: Erik ten Hag admits Manchester United draw at Brentford could prove 'expensive' (Daily Mail)
He spoke after the Liverpool game was obviously quite a
On Wednesday, it was claimed that Eriksen will be one of the first victims of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s squad overhaul this summer, with Ten Hag no longer in need of him.
The Daily Mirror have now backed up those claims, stating that Eriksen ‘will be allowed to leave on a permanent transfer’ at the end of the season.
Mainoo replaces Eriksen in Man Utd midfield
Man Utd chiefs view Mainoo as the future of their midfield, which means Eriksen and sub-par loanee Sofyan Amrabat will be offloaded.
The Red Devils could also sign a top-class new partner for Mainoo, such as Joao Neves, which would end Casemiro’s spell in Manchester.
As Eriksen’s contract runs until June 2025, Man Utd should be able to land a fee when selling him. Although, this will not be a huge amount due to the player’s age and the fact he has not featured in many games recently.
While on international duty with Denmark, the playmaker admitted he has found his situation at Man Utd tough.
“I have previously stated that I am not satisfied with not playing, but it’s not something that keeps me up at night,” Eriksen said.
“The team is performing, and I must respect the role you have alongside. For my part, it has been about working hard and focusing on being fresh for every game, and I am. It is easier now to accept my role than it would have been before.
“I have had a conversation with Erik about being unhappy with the situation and wanting to play as much as possible, but I am available and need to be available for the team, which I am and always will be.
“He said it was the team he had chosen, and Kobbie is doing well, and the rest of the midfield is also performing well, so there is competition for places, which is expected when playing for a top club. There is great competition within the team.”
Eriksen added: “Of course, you can be concerned in the long run because I want to play as much as possible. Naturally, you don’t want to always sit on the bench. I don’t have that approach to it, but it’s not something that worries me right now.
“Often when you change teams and win, you don’t change the winning team, and I respect that.”
READ MORE: The entire Man Utd XI Ratcliffe can brutally axe to cut £85m from wage bill
![The Devastating Consequences of Ongoing Industrial Action on a Struggling Economy [Nigeria]](https://cdn.bulbapp.io/frontend/images/e1de1ae2-cc18-4537-8e3e-af17767662fd/1)
