Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag faces an uncertain future after the historic club is off to a rough start in the English Premier League.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag faces an uncertain future after the historic club is struggling in the English Premier League (EPL).
After earning a draw against Aston Villa on Sunday, the Red Devils are in 14th place in the EPL with two wins, two draws, and three losses. The victories have come against Fulham (eighth place) and Southampton (19th place).
“We have to improve, but also we can say that we are very disciplined,” ten Hag
said in his postgame news conference following Sunday’s game against Aston Villa. “For instance, in the first 25 minutes with our positioning and how we created the chances. And at the right moment, we speed up the game. I would not address it as undisciplined but only that we can improve. We have to improve if we want success and we can only win trophies when we improve. We will work on this definitely.”
The biggest challenge for Manchester United has been scoring goals. The team has five goals in seven matches while conceding eight goals.
There is mounting pressure to perform better, especially after last season’s eighth-place finish (18 wins, six draws, 14 losses) when the club missed out on qualification for the Champions League. However, ten Hag is preaching patience with the continued development of the team’s young players.
The soccer leagues around Europe are now on international break so the players can compete in matches with their respective national teams. But ten Hag would rather keep playing in the EPL.
“It’s never a good time, you want to keep going,”
ten Hag said about the break. “You see we are improving, but now the players go away. Every club has to deal with this.”
This is not the first time this season that questions have arisen about ten Hag’s tenure at Old Trafford.
International soccer star and former Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo said at the beginning of the English Premier League season that the club needs a complete overhaul to get back atop the standings and potentially win another Champions League title. Manchester United has not won the Champions League since 2008. The club has not won the EPL since 2012.
Ronaldo, who played for Manchester United from 2003–09 and again in 2021–22, was one of the club’s most prolific scorers with 145 goals in 346 matches.
“When I’m back there, I was very happy. I was one of the best scorers. I did unbelievable things with the club,” Ronaldo said on the “
Rio Ferdinand Presents” YouTube program. “Manchester, they need to rebuild everything, in my opinion. The coach, they say they cannot compete to win the league and Champions League. You cannot say that as the Manchester United coach, you cannot say that you’re not going to fight to win the league or Champions League. You have to ... say, listen, maybe we don’t have that potential, but I cannot say that. We’re going to try. You have to try.”
However, ten Hag believes in the system that has been implemented at Manchester United. He said the club shouldn’t be judged until the season is over next spring and not in the early months as the players find their footing.
In his first season at Manchester United in 2022–2023, ten Hag led the club to third place in the EPL, earning its first trophy in six years across all competitions by
winning the EFL Cup, also known as the Carabao Cup.
“It is OK. We will see where we are in May next year,” ten Hag
said in response to Ronaldo’s comments. “It is very early in the season; it is about winning trophies, being as high as possible, of course, in the league, doing everything we can to win every game. Then, we will see in May where we are.”
