A former Old Trafford great has declared that the internal evaluation process at Manchester United was conducted in a way that was demeaning to head coach Erik ten Hag.
Paul Ince also stated that while Ten Hag’s future was uncertain, it was “madness” for the team to be in talks with possible replacements, such as former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel.
After winning the FA Cup, United is expected to remain with Ten Hag, and negotiations for a new contract have begun, as was revealed on Tuesday night.
However, Ince believes that United’s handling of the Ten Hag situation during the last three weeks does not present an encouraging image of the new Ineos administration.
I truly believe that Erik ten Hag is not being respected in regards to Manchester United’s internal review. Speaking to Bet365, Ince declared, “What’s going on here is complete insanity.”
“They’ve won the FA Cup, which is fantastic, but considering that Louis van Gaal was fired the day after winning the cup, they really need to get over the notion that they have to keep him around just because he did.
The Premier League is your main source of income. Where do you end in the Premier League’s 38 games? They came in ninth place, which is far from satisfactory.
It’s been far too inadequate for a very long time. Perhaps they believe that things can become better the following year with the addition of Dan Ashworth and Jason Wilcox.
“It seems like they’re currently meeting with Mauricio Pochettino and Thomas Tuchel to see which other managers are willing to come to Manchester United. That shows a lack of respect for the manager of the football team.”
Roberto de Zerbi and Mauricio Pochettino, who departed Chelsea and Brighton at the end of the season, had also been linked to United. Ince countered that it showed Ten Hag a “lack of respect.”
“It would be awful to think that while you’re sitting in your job managing a football team, my colleagues are out having conversations with other managers,” he continued. There must undoubtedly be disrespect.
“There must be, and I genuinely believe that Ten Hag is treated unfairly. You would only ask, “Are you keeping me or are you not keeping me?” in such situation. Allow me to leave if I’m going to since I might decide to go somewhere else before the season begins.
However, avoid acting as though you should consult with other managers—Pochettino, Roberto De Zerbi, or anyone else—before making a choice.
“They really need to make a decision because it’s been two and a half weeks, and it shows a lack of respect, if they’re meeting managers and making it public that they’re meeting managers, then you have to question if they have 100% faith in Ten Hag.”