A significant behind-the-scenes update regarding Erik ten Hag has emerged at Manchester United, regarding his treatment of two Red Devils players.
Ten Hag fighting to save Man Utd job
This season has been a largely dire one at Old Trafford to date, with Ten Hag failing to kick on from last season’s FA Cup success, which included beating Manchester City in the final. Many felt the Dutchman may have been sacked if he had lost that game at Wembley, but INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe instead retained him and gave the manager a new deal.
It hasn’t been close to good enough from United this time around, however, with 3-0 defeats at home to both Liverpool and Tottenham summing up their struggles, not to mention failing to win either of their opening couple of Europa League group stage matches.
Ten Hag has still been bullish about keeping his job, but replacements have been constantly linked in recent weeks, including Thomas Tuchel, who was most recently in charge at Bayern Munich.
Former Juventus boss Max Allegri has also been mentioned as a potential appointment, having enjoyed so much success during his stint with the Turin giants, winning five Serie A titles and Italian Cups apiece, as well as picking up one league crown in charge of AC Milan.
Concern from Man Utd on Ten Hag and £155,000-a-week duo
According to a new report from Caught Offside, INEOS are concerned and surprised about Ten Hag’s treatment of Joshua Zirkzee and Alejandro Garnacho respectively.
It is claimed that “while results and performances have clearly not been good enough, there is also real concern behind the scenes” about the Dutchman’s inability to get the best of the £155,000-a-week-combined pair.
That especially applies to Zirkzee, whereas the biggest issue surrounding Garnacho is why he isn’t being played more, given the likes of Marcus Rashford and Antony aren’t exactly firing on all cylinders.
This is just the latest concern about Ten Hag and the job he is doing at United, and it surely raises huge question marks over whether he is the right man for the job in the long run.
Zirkzee has struggled since arriving at United in the summer, failing to justify the fee that the Red Devils paid Bologna for his services, with the 23-year-old only scoring once in his first six appearances in the Premier League, coming on the opening night of the season against Fulham at Old Trafford.
As for Garnacho, he still looks like one of his side’s biggest attacking threats when he plays, bagging two goals and assists apiece in the 7-0 win over Barnsley in the EFL Cup, and it seems strange that he isn’t being used more.
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