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Gary Neville read into the United manager’s demeanour (
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has faced speculation over his future after overseeing a difficult season which will end with the club missing out on the Champions League.
Gary Neville believes Erik ten Hag‘s assured nature in his recent Sky Sports interview points to the Dutchman being confident he will stay at Old Trafford beyond this season.
Ten Hag led United to a third-place finish and a cup win in his first season in England, but things have been tougher this time around. With four games to go, United know they won’t be in the Champions League next term, though they still have a shot at silverware with an FA Cup final repeat against Manchester City on the horizon.
A big summer awaits for United, with part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe looking to make his mark in his first transfer window in charge. Recent form has sparked questions about whether Ten Hag will stick around to reap the rewards, though.
The 54-year-old has been linked with a summer return to Ajax, while outgoing Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel is among those reportedly being considered to take his place. Former club captain Neville doesn’t anticipate any change in the dugout, though.
“I thought he was very assured,” Neville told Kelly Cates during a Sky Sports broadcast. “Obviously everyone else around him has gone at senior management level – the CEO, the technical director’s been shifted, the CFO’s gone, the interim CEO, John Murtough’s gone – so there’s been a lot of change at the club.”
Ratcliffe has already made significant changes behind the scenes, with Omar Berrada set to take over as CEO and Jason Wilcox brought in as technical director. Dan Ashworth is expected to follow, with the former Brighton transfer chief on gardening leave from his Newcastle role and expected to take the Magpies to arbitration.
Despite the change, Neville recognised Ten Hag’s calm exterior as the former Utrecht boss opened up on a variety of issues. One of those was the failure to land summer transfer targets including Harry Kane, and this didn’t go unnoticed.
“I felt as though he was assured, he was very calm, but obviously he’s been under quite a lot of pressure recently,” Neville continued. “He talked about how big the FA Cup fnal is in a few weeks, that’s a season-defining game, but I think it’s the most I’ve heard a Manchester United manager talk – while they’re still in the job – about the players that they hadn’t got for him that were really important to him.
“Obviously, Frenkie de Jong was mentioned, he alluded to Harry Kane and how important a signing that would have been. Manchester United’s recruitment has not been as sufficient as it should be, and also [there’s] the injuries he’s had.
“He wasn’t making excuses by any stretch, he knows the performance levels haven’t been good enough. But he did point towards the fact that you talk about Manchester United’s shots on their goal and he pointed towards the fact that last season they had the most clean sheets, and with the defence being decimated, particularly in the 30 different combinations in the back four, that that’s harmed him and he’s not been able to play quite the way he wanted.”
Source:The Mirror