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Ex-Manchester United captain Gary Neville dismissed the notion of the club firing manager Erik ten Hag as “complete nonsense.”
On Saturday, United experienced their 11th loss of the season in all competitions and their seventh in the Premier League. They were defeated 3-0 at home by Bournemouth.
Neville argues that Ten Hag should not be fired this season and blames United’s owners, the Glazer family.
In an interview with Sky Sports, Neville expressed concern for Ten Hag, stating, “I am worried for him in general, not just because of this week’s matches against Bayern Munich and Liverpool. It seems that history is repeating itself once again.”
I am hopeful that Erik ten Hag can find a way to improve the team’s performance this season. If not, he will likely face consequences similar to past United managers such as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Jose Mourinho, and Louis van Gaal.
It is unreasonable to replace him this season and the suggestion to fire him is completely absurd. I do not support that idea.
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“The absence of strong leadership and organization above him…I understand that some may argue that the Glazer family should not be held accountable – but they can be. After a decade of disappointment and poor player acquisitions, the root cause is their failure to appoint a competent sporting director and head of recruitment.”
I am optimistic that Erik ten Hag will be able to improve the situation this season. If not, he may face difficulties, which seems unavoidable.
This is the reason for this occurrence. In the end, managers look to those above them and believe, “I don’t have anyone to assist me, so I might as well handle it on my own.”
The leadership is responsible for this. If it occurred once, that would be understandable, but twice raises questions. However, this has happened five times in the span of 10 years.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is anticipated to soon announce his acquisition of a 25% stake in the Old Trafford club, giving him considerable control over the club’s football operations.
Neville stated that someone needs to intervene and resolve the situation, but it’s uncertain how they will be able to do so. This is a cause for concern.
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We are in need of a restructuring at the highest level, which we hope will take place within the next few weeks. We hope that this will alter the perception of the sports project, as it is not feasible to simply maintain the current state of affairs without any changes.
“With effective leadership and organization within the club, Manchester United may have the potential to compete with other clubs that have superior recruiting and business strategies.”
Source: independent.co.uk
