In the face of mounting pressure, Graeme Souness delivers a harsh verdict on Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag.
Erik ten Hag, manager of Manchester United, has had a difficult week following heavy defeats to Manchester City and Newcastle.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has been told that he has likely exhausted all of his options and is now relying on a ‘wing and a prayer’ to get the Reds results.
Ten Hag has come under intense scrutiny this week following United’s dismal last two games. Back-to-back 3-0 defeats have fueled speculation that his job is in jeopardy ahead of Saturday’s trip to Fulham.
Another loss in the capital will almost certainly widen the gap between United and the top four. This is currently eight points behind Liverpool in fourth place.
When it comes to the current situation at Old Trafford, Liverpool legend Graeme Souness believes the flaws in Ten Hag’s authority started on his first day. “Never in my wildest imagination have I been able to picture Erik ten Hag holding court from the middle of a dressing room, convincing a group of young men with highly inflated opinions of themselves that they are all going places together,” he wrote in an article for the Daily Mail.
“I believe the majority of them are having difficulty accepting his body language.” The players will have figured out who he is and who he isn’t from his very first team meeting.
“The locker room is a ruthless place.” Football players are a jaded lot. They’ll be looking for chinks in this manager’s armor. I find it difficult to believe there will not be some skepticism from the start.
“The club is now at a point where Ten Hag has little control over anything.” I guarantee he will have said everything he can think of and tried everything he thinks he can do to make it work. He’s run out of ideas and terminology. He’s now going into each game on a wing and a prayer.”
Despite his criticism of Ten Hag, Souness did not absolve the United squad of responsibility.
He described the players as ‘weak-willed’ and looking for an excuse to blame their poor performance on someone else.
MEN Sport understands that some United players are beginning to doubt their manager and are unsure of the club’s direction.
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