Ferdinand highlights United ‘alarm bell’ as he predicts Ten Hag to be sacked after final

Rio Ferdinand believes Erik ten Hag will be relieved of his duties following the FA Cup final, regardless of whether Manchester United lift the trophy.

The Dutchman has just overseen United’s worst-ever Premier League finish on record after they finished eighth-placed on 60 points, 31 points away from champions Manchester City.

It means that as it stands, there will be no European football played at Old Trafford next term, but they have the opportunity to claim a Europa League spot with a win on Saturday.

The odds are heavily stacked against United for the tie, given that the two Manchester clubs have endured seasons that are worlds apart. City did the double over the Reds in the league, and will now be aiming to see out a result similar to last year’s final, which saw them open the scoring within just 12 seconds of the referee’s whistle through Ilkay Gundogan.

Former Red has his say on Ten Hag’s future

Ferdinand, meanwhile, reckons the result will have little impact on Ten Hag’s future, as he thinks the manager is set to be replaced irrespective of how his side fares.

“The more and more I think about it, win or lose, I don’t think Ten Hag will be there come next season,” he began on his YouTube channel FIVE. “I’m not saying that’s what I want, I’m just saying what I believe is going to happen, and I believe that the club are going to look elsewhere, I think.

“I don’t think [winning the FA Cup] changes anything in the eyes of INEOS. I’ve not spoken to anyone there – this is just an assumption, this is what I think.”

“Put injuries aside, the performances of the team have been so bad. Most teams have had injuries, maybe not to the same extent as Man United,” Ferdinand continued. “I keep saying this, I sound like a broken record: performance level can drop, but your style of football should be there to identify. It’s not. I don’t know what we are. I don’t know who we are. Who are we as a team? What are we?

“We rely [on Bruno Fernandes]. And that would be an alarm bell for me. The moment Bruno came out of the team, the fall-off of that team was a joke. The worst performances I’ve seen in many, many years against Crystal Palace.”