Gary Neville worried Erik ten Hag faces sack at Man Utd as flop is destroyed and told he ‘should not be playing for this club’

Gary Neville believes Erik ten Hag is paying the price for years of bad recruitment and transfer business at Manchester United after admitting for the first time he is worried for the Dutchman’s job at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils lost 3-0 to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night, making it their worst start to a season since 1962/63 with the latest defeat their eighth of the season already from just 15 games. And with the knives sharpening at Manchester United, Ten Hag finds himself under increasing pressure and in real jeopardy of the sack.

Indeed, the United boss came out at full-time and acknowledged he is a man in serious peril, but launched a stern defence of his abilities by labelling himself a “fighter” and, in his words, still the right man to turn things around at Old Trafford.

“I am a fighter and I know it is not always going up,” Ten Hag stated.

“We have a lot of setbacks this season so far, but also you have to deal with it and that is never an excuse.

“I have said that before I know when there are setbacks the routines are not the same, but even then you have to get results in. Obviously, Sunday and tonight were far from that so we have to do things right and at a certain level, at the minimum level to win games.”

However, speaking after the defeat to the Magpies, Sky Sports pundit Neville admits things are not looking good for Ten Hag.

And while a staunch supporter of the Dutchman, he acknowledges that current results are simply not good enough and bound to see serious questions raised.

READ MORE ~ Premier League sack race: Ten Hag second after Carabao Cup humiliation

Gary Neville worried about Ten Hag sack at Man Utd

“At the moment it is worrying stuff for him, losing matches but the performances have been really awful,” Neville said.

“Even the ones they have won in the last few weeks. Nowhere near good enough.

“You knew if half decent teams came to Old Trafford they would be back with losses again.

“You imagine after Sunday, Ten Hag would have had a message or meeting with the players to lift them for tonight.

“What do you say after this when you have seen it repeated, the same type of performance. Newcastle have made eight changes, what does he say to them, what is he thinking.”

Neville admits that Ten Hag will have to make some stark changes to get a reaction from his players in time for Saturday lunchtime’s trip to face Fulham at Craven Cottage.

And while nothing less than a win will do, Neville feels we’re already getting to the now or never stage with United already a massive eight points adrift of the Champions League places.

“He has to do something stark Erik ten Hag ahead the match with Fulham. He has not really tried anything like go five at the back or a different system,” Neville said.

“He is still persisting with four at the back and man to man marking in midfield, with one up top.

“I wonder if he might have to depart from that to shock the players and give them something completely different.”

Neville launches furious tirade against Anthony Martial

‘Newcastle fully deserved this tonight, but for Man United in terms of team selection, style of play and how Ten Hag lifts them ahead of the weekend, I am not quite sure.

‘The Manchester Derby was bad but this has cemented what we have seen in the last few days, they are lacking in ideas.

‘Ten Hag claps the fans, but he has thinking to do that manager, some real thinking. He has to work out how he can get the best out of these players very quickly.”

Neville believes Ten Hag is paying the price for years of poor recruitment at Old Trafford.

And the former United star feels no-one sums up their bad judgement better than Anthony Martial after years of poor performances.

Reflecting on his eight-year stay at Old Trafford, Martial stated: “Sometimes I ask myself the question, when you walk away from a broadcast like Sunday, ‘are we being too harsh?’,” he began.

“But when you hear that stat that a guy has been at the club nine years – a goalscorer that cost £50m, £60m, £70m – has scored basically 89 goals in nine years and we still can’t get him out of the club, I don’t think we are being too harsh. I don’t think we’re being harsh enough.”

He added: “The failings of the football department and recruitment is just absolutely incredible.

“Look, they’re human beings at the end of the day and Martial, no one wants to go on the pitch and play badly or not achieve their standards. Nobody wants to be injured.

In the last 4 days we’ve seen right in front of our eyes where you end up with over a decade of awful decisions. Fortunes wasted, anger turned to apathy, our reputation destroyed at home and in Europe
,infrastructure well below standards and we all can’t wait for a total change…

— Gary Neville (@GNev2) November 2, 2023

“So I accept all those factors, but the reality is there is no way he should still be at Man United leading the line in any competition, even the Carabao Cup.

“It’s just where the club is at the moment, they don’t have a centre forward apart from [Rasmus] Hojlund who I think has real promise but he needs some experience up alongside him.”

Martial will unlikely retain his place in the attack for Saturday’s trip to Fulham, while they then face a crucial must-win trip to face FC Copenhagen in the Champions League on Wednesday.

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