‘Give him an injury-free season’: Neville explains why Ratcliffe should ‘stick with’ Ten Hag this summer

As has been the case so often over the past decade, we find ourselves in a period of widespread speculation over the future of the Manchester United manager.

Indeed, Erik ten Hag’s position in the dugout is believed to be at risk as he approaches the end of a below-par campaign at Old Trafford.

The side are on course to record their lowest-ever Premier League finish, with United now unable to match the points tally of David Moyes’ seventh-placed finish in 2014 (64).

They exited Europe in calamitous fashion after finishing rock-bottom of the group stage while also being knocked out of the Carabao Cup – a trophy they held at the time – in the fourth round.

However, what’s giving Ten Hag some considerable credit in the bank is that the Reds are in the FA Cup final for a second successive season. Should they overturn Manchester City on May 25, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the United faithful will likely be more open to giving him another term.

Give Ten Hag another season, says former captain

Gary Neville weighed in on the matter at last night’s ‘99’ premiere, explaining: “What we’ve seen over the last 10 years is that players struggle to come to terms with Old Trafford, managers struggle to come to terms with Old Trafford.

“So you’ve got to look at the fact that they’re all good players when you sign them, and they were all great managers when we signed them.

“For me, there’s something fundamentally wrong that’s created this – if you like – difficulty. And I would say coming through that, maybe the new ownership [and] the change of personnel would allow these players next season, and the manager, to feel more stable.”

“I don’t see any suitable replacement out there either at this moment in time,” he continued. “Bayern Munich are struggling to find a replacement for their manager… other clubs are struggling as well.

“I think we should stick with Erik ten Hag and give him one more season – particularly an injury-free season. We’ve obviously had a lot of injuries this season as well. So I would say one more season would be worthy, and to see whether we can get back to the standards of last season when we won a trophy, and we finished in the top four and got Champions League football.”

"I don't see any suitable replacement"

Gary Neville wants Erik ten Hag to stay at Manchester United amid speculation of him leaving the club this summer 🗣 pic.twitter.com/h6gOAxkQJD

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 10, 2024

Footage courtesy of Sky Sports.