Former captain Gary Neville expressed his frustration when witnessing his former team, Manchester United, suffer a severe defeat against Newcastle in the League Cup. He also predicted that Manchester United’s manager, Erik ten Hag, is on the verge of losing his job.
Losing 0-3 to Newcastle led to Manchester United being eliminated in the 1/8th round of the League Cup, a competition they won the previous season by defeating the same opponent in the final. This defeat occurred three days after a similar loss to Manchester City in the Premier League. The team, playing at Old Trafford, is experiencing its worst start since the 1962-1963 season, having lost five out of their first ten home matches, which hasn’t happened since the 1930-1931 season.
“Last night, the Theater of Dreams became the Theater of Emptiness. All Manchester United fans are disheartened and disillusioned. On the field, the players seemed shocked. The team’s performance was truly terrible, and the manager appeared helpless. We’ve seen this before, and we know where it leads. We’ve endured enough,” said the 48-year-old former defender, hinting at the possibility of Ten Hag being sacked.
Neville believes Ten Hag’s difficulties may stem from Manchester United’s weak football management system. He stated, “In the two recent matches, Manchester United faced two clubs that have established proper specialized departments to support the team on and off the field. Manchester United, on the other hand, doesn’t have a Director of Football.”
According to the English media, billionaire Jim Ratcliffe is set to take over the footballing aspects of Manchester United if a proposed $1.7 billion deal to purchase a 25% stake in the club goes through. Ratcliffe has proposed the creation of a footballing committee with him, Joel Glazer, and Dave Brailsford, should the agreement be approved.
Ten Hag is the fifth manager appointed by Manchester United since the retirement of former manager Alex Ferguson in 2013. David Moyes lasted only nine months, while Louis Van Gaal departed after two seasons, with his only achievement being the FA Cup in 2015. Jose Mourinho secured two League Cup titles and the Europa League in the 2016-2017 season but was sacked in his third season after Manchester United won only seven out of 17 Premier League matches and fell behind the leader by 19 points.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replaced the Portuguese manager temporarily in December 2018 before being officially appointed. In July 2021, just two months after Manchester United lost in a penalty shootout in the Europa League final against Villarreal, Solskjaer’s contract was extended for an additional three years. However, he only lasted four more months, as Manchester United secured only 17 points from their first 12 matches of the season. Ralf Rangnick temporarily replaced him.
Former Arsenal player Paul Merson believes that the recent attitude of Manchester United players in the last two matches could indicate that Ten Hag has lost control of the dressing room. He suggested that this might stem from conflicts between Ten Hag and Jadon Sancho, as the strictness of the Dutch coach could lead to a “toxic atmosphere” within the club.
Former Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given shares a similar perspective. He said, “There is a divide between the players and the manager at Manchester United. I think there are many internal conflicts within the club that we have yet to discover. Raphael Varane has gone missing in the derby and the match against Newcastle. Sancho is isolated, and Antony is also facing issues.”
According to Given, clubs often experience internal turmoil when preparing to part ways with a manager, which appears to be happening at Manchester United.
