Ten Hag slammed for ‘taking Man Utd backwards’ as pundit predicts ‘heat’ from next two fixtures

Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton believes Man Utd are going backwards under Erik ten Hag, who has two games to save his job.

The Red Devils have started the season slowly, losing to Liverpool and Brighton after a narrow victory over Fulham on matchday one.

New Man Utd co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe opted against replacing Ten Hag – who is joint-first in the Premier League sack race – after holding talks with ex-Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel and the Dutchman’s future is once again a big talking point.

Ten Hag is under immense pressure to turn things around and Sutton believes there has been no improvement on last season, when the club finished a record-low eighth in the Premier League.

“The serious point is that the club made the decision for Erik ten Hag to stay on after winning the FA Cup,” Sutton said. “It was well known that they were looking for another manager and couldn’t find one, so Erik ten Hag stayed.

“The question I think Manchester United fans will be asking after the first three games is: ‘Has there been any noticeable change or improvement? Do they look like they’re going to make progress under Ten Hag?’ The truthful answer to both would be no.

“He’s won a couple of cups since he’s been at Manchester United but, overall, I think last season the club went backwards. Most people recognise that – the FA Cup win saved his job.”

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Sutton believes Man Utd’s next two fixtures could be pivotal in Ratcliffe’s decision to proceed with or sack Ten Hag.

“INEOS have come in with Dan Ashworth and Jason Wilcox, who I played with at Blackburn, and there has been a lot of changes behind the scenes at the club,” the pundit added.

“Manchester United have got a couple of tricky away games on the horizon in Southampton, who are without a win but will be looking to take a scalp, and Crystal Palace, who trounced them last year 4-0 at Selhurst Park.

“They’re games that United fans will be expecting to win, and they could really bring the heat on Ten Hag.”

Sutton continued: “There’s no doubt that Erik ten Hag would have been aware of the speculation and the vultures circling if Man United got off to a poor start this season, which is why it was so important for his team to get off to a good start to build that backing and faith within the United fanbase.

“United narrowly defeated Fulham in the first game with a late winner, but that was a game that could have gone against them because Fulham had good opportunities. They got the victory over the line and breathed a huge sigh of relief, but they then followed that up with a defeat at Brighton.

“After the incident with Joshua Zirkzee, Erik ten Hag would be forgiven for thinking that that things are contriving to go against his team, but there was no excuse for allowing [Joao] Pedro to have acres of space inside the box and to head in the winner in the last minute.

“Against Liverpool, at home, because of the great rivalry and the fact that Manchester United somehow managed to get a couple of results against Liverpool last season, you’re hoping for a response.

“I actually think the manner of the defeat is more damaging than the result itself.

“Liverpool have great quality, but the way that Manchester United capitulated has to be the biggest red flag for Erik ten Hag and now he’s got to ponder that over the international break.

“What we do know though is the next couple of games are absolutely crucial for him and when they come back after the international break, they have to hit the ground running.”

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Former Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea and Celtic striker Sutton adds that there is no identity or control with Ten Hag in the Old Trafford dugout.

“I think the criticism, and it was a legitimate criticism last season of Manchester United, was they didn’t control enough games,” he said.

“What is their identity? I always felt that Manchester United under Erik ten Hag are a much better counter-attacking team who can suck up pressure and hurt you on the break.

“That style hasn’t happened enough because to play like that, you must be solid and well organised, and that structure and organisation has been missing from the majority of Manchester United’s performances.

“In his first season, he took over the club in a really difficult position and that’s where I do have a bit of sympathy for him.

“I think he exceeded expectations with the third-place finish, but then you thought, ‘Manchester United are going to build next season and get closer to Manchester City’. That must have been the goal, and they finished eighth.

“They won the FA Cup, but you must look at the season as a whole, and they really underperformed; they went backwards.

“He clung onto that FA Cup win, and it kept him in his job, but after everything that happened in the summer, getting off to a good start was absolutely crucial. He hasn’t started well and that’s why questions are being asked at the moment.”

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