Erik ten Hag is under severe pressure (Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
Manchester United legend Paul Scholes says Erik ten Hag is under ‘huge pressure’ and he’s ‘worried’ that the Dutchman is a dead man walking with SirJim Ratcliffe’s arrival imminent.
The 71-year-old is set to take control of football operations once his £1.3bn investment in the club is completed in the next fortnight.
Ratcliffe will already need to appoint a new CEO following Richard Arnold’s decision to step down, and though he wants to make a stamp on the club, he is wary of further upheavel.
Ten Hag was successful during his first season at Old Trafford but his second campaign has been miserable, with United on the cusp of exiting the Champions League.
Saturday’s 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth was a new low in an already-difficult second season for Ten Hag at the Theatre of Dreams.
And, though he still retains Scholes’ backing, the United legend fears Ten Hag’s days are numbered under Ratcliffe if results don’t improve.
Scholes feels sympathy for Ten Hag (Photo by Pedro Salado/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
‘It’s difficult to see how much more backwards they can go. Do we just have to accept this is where we’re at now?’ said Scholes.
‘We definitely don’t have the players to compete at the top of the table. We’re nowhere near that level. Even if this group of players perform to their very best, they’re just not good enough.
‘I think for the manager, unless he gets something sorted pretty quickly, he’s going to come under huge pressure.
‘I just don’t think changing is the answer, but you have to worry about it – especially when new owners come in. New owners like to bring new people in. He’ll be under big pressure if things don’t improve.’
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Despite grievances with Ten Hag, Scholes feels the Dutchman is trying to do the right things at Old Trafford.
‘The manager is trying to do the right thing but he’s struggling to do it with the evidence we’re seeing on the football pitch,’ said the TNT Sports pundit.
‘I don’t see anybody else out there who could do any better. I like him, he needs time to do what he has planned, but he’s got to get a move on with it.
‘I wouldn’t have questioned him until possibly the Newcastle game [a 1-0 defeat on December 2] where the attitude and application just wasn’t right, it felt wrong. That’s when you start questioning the manager.
‘He has to take some kind of responsibility – the reflection of the team comes from the manager.
‘The culture of the club comes from the training ground and the manager needs to get that right. It just seems all over the place.
‘I don’t think the manager should be changed, he should be given time, we’ve seen some top-class managers come and go at this club and nothing has changed. It’s right to stick with him.’
MORE : Tired Newcastle can summon up the strength to reach the Champions League knockout stages
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Can he survive?