'Man Utd and Ratcliffe must sack Ten Hag NOW'

Tom Weber

• Updated: 16 Jan 2024 12:38 GMT
• 3 min read

Chris Sutton believes that the time has come for Manchester United to sack Erik ten Hag.

The Red Devils have endured a dire campaign and already find themselves out of the Carabao Cup and the Champions League, while languishing in seventh in the Premier League table.

Erik ten Hag has faced intense scrutiny due to his players' disappointing performances with no clear philosophy or style of play discernible in the way his side play. This was particularly evident against Tottenham at the weekend, who, by contrast, have a distinct style despite Ange Postecoglou only taking the reins in the summer.

Questions have, therefore, been asked of Ten Hag and why, after 18 months in charge, he has not managed to do what the Australian accomplished from pretty much the first game of the season at his new club. In fact, it was this 2-2 draw against Spurs that convinced former Premier League striker Chris Sutton that new Man Utd chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe must axe Ten Hag as part of his overhaul.

Ten Hag must go

"Jim Ratcliffe will be looking at everything within the club," Sutton said on the It's All Kicking Off podcast. "He'll be looking to fix the leaks in the roof. He'll be looking to make improvements at the training ground. But what can he improve and improve right now? I think he really needs to scrutinise Erik ten Hag and I suspect he'll be thinking about a change."

"I think the safe thing to do would be to make the change in the summer and give himself time. But if he evaluates Manchester United this season and he strips back and looks at their results and the way that they play, I think he should make the change now."

"...Against half-decent teams at Old Trafford, Manchester United have let themselves be dominated. And this is a manager who's been in for 18 months now...So I think it's time for a change. The Ratcliffe revolution. New era, new manager required."