Erik ten Hag breaks silence after Manchester United ‘decide to sack’ manager ahead of FA Cup final
The Dutchman is set to lose his job at Old Trafford.
Erik ten Hag claims Manchester United’s owners have told him they want to ‘rebuild with him’ amid reports he will be sacked after the FA Cup final.
United’s dismal form this season looks set to cost Ten Hag his job at Old Trafford, with reports from Friday suggesting he will be axed regardless of the outcome of Saturday’s FA Cup final against Manchester City.
Ten Hag led Manchester United to a third-place finish and EFL Cup glory in his first season at the club but has been unable to build upon that platform this term, with United recording their lowest-ever Premier League finish.
The Old Trafford hierarchy have reportedly already decided to move on from Ten Hag but he has now claimed the owners ‘told him directly’ that they want to ‘rebuild with him’.
‘They said they want to change everything and that they want to rebuild with me,’ Ten Hag told Dutch outlet Voetbal International. ‘This is what they told me directly.
‘Let me be clear. It has been bad. It has been crap. But despite everything, we are going to play an FA Cup final.’
Ten Hag, who managed Ajax before moving to Old Trafford in 2022, also bemoaned Manchester United’s ‘really crazy’ injury crisis this season and believes that is the reason his side have struggled.
‘The injuries have been really crazy,’ he said. ‘Not long ago I had to start my 15th different centre back duo of the season. I have had 33 different defensive lines this season!
‘Sofyan Amrabat had to play left back four times. We have had injuries all over the pitch. Casemiro has been out for a long time. Rasmus Hojlund, the striker we bought, suffered from three injuries and I can keep going on and on. This is the core story of our season.
‘Tyrell Malacia didn’t play a single minute of football this season. In fact, he didn’t even spend a single moment out on the training pitch.
‘We signed him as our back-up for Luke Shaw, who is the best left back in the world. This guy is so good. But he has suffered a horrible injury at the start of his career and because of this he will never be able to play 60 games per season.’
Ten Hag went on to hit back at pundits who have called for his dismissal or been overly critical of Manchester United, claiming they see the fallen giants as ‘easy prey’
‘The pundits in England want to score, they want to show they are worth the money, and for that Manchester United is an easy prey,’ the 54-year-old added.
‘It’s the biggest club in England and possibly in the world. The club is either loved or hated, there is no in-between. So when things go bad, they all start talking and talking with very big words.
‘All this negativism from these so called experts who don’t have the capability to analyse something with facts, but who prefer to attack people to make themselves look better.
‘And these same people were the ones who gave me a pat on the back last year. Last year I was able to walk on water, this year I am the worst manager in the Premier League!’
Despite Ten Hag’s comments, it appears unlikely that he will still be in the Old Trafford hot-seat come the start of the 2024-25 campaign.
Even so, Ten Hag opened up on the three players Manchester United need to sign this summer to climb up the Premier League table and qualify for the Champions League once more.
‘We need to sign an extra striker in the summer,’ he said. ‘And if we can sign another central midfielder and a replacement for [Raphael] Varane, things will look good again. If the team remains fit we can try and aim for top four again.’
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