Man United manager to avoid sacking would be ‘very surprising’ – Schmeichel
Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel says he would be “very surprised” if Erik ten Hag is still in charge next season and believes the club has been “eroding a bit” since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure in 2013.
On the eve of United’s FA Cup final against Manchester City, reports claim that the embattled Ten Hag will be sacked regardless of whether his team win the trophy, their last chance to qualify for European football next season.
“We’ve been hearing about Erik’s position for a very long time,” Schmeichel said, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live.
“Everyone else at the top of Manchester United has left, and new people are coming in. As much as I want Erik to lose his job, I would be very surprised if he is the manager next year.
“I really hate that Manchester United is a club that keeps a manager for a short period of time and then if things don’t go right, they fire him. You could see after Sir Alex left the football club that it was starting to erode.”
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Ten Hag became United’s fifth full-time manager in less than nine years when he arrived from Ajax in May 2022, and Ralf Rangnick’s temporary spell lasted less than six months before the Dutchman took over.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe completed his deal to buy a 27.7% stake in United in February, taking over the club’s football side and promising to change its culture.
Ratcliffe’s additions include Sir David Brailsford in a key operational role and chief executive Omar Berrada, but United have continued to struggle on the pitch, never improving from sixth and finishing eighth in Ten Hag’s second season in charge while finishing bottom of their Champions League group. .
Ratcliffe wants a ‘clean start’ for United
“The way they conducted themselves in the first few months in charge shows that they want a good start which is their plan,” said Schmeichel, who was signed by Ferguson in 1991 and won the Premier League five times. a hat-trick in the FA Cup final and the 1998/99 Uefa Champions League in between collecting trophies.
“[Ten Hag’s] he has been criticized a lot in the last few weeks, especially for the way he has been speaking. I don’t think that’s what they want.”
United are big rivals against a City side who finished 31 points above them as champions and beat them 2-1 in the FA Cup final last season, and Schmeichel has also been disappointed by the poor conditions at Old Trafford, which was highlighted when one of the footballers. Arsenal lost 1-0 at home earlier this month.
“There is no real leadership from the very top and they have really been let go,” he said of the group. “A great example was when that game ended and the rain started – the way Old Trafford looked. That tells you everything.”
