Alan Shearer expresses sympathy with Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag after defeat to Brighton and suggests uncertainty over the club’s ownership is a key factor behind their struggles
- Alan Shearer says he has some sympathy for United manager Erik ten Hag
- Ten Hag was criticized after losing to Brighton, but Shearer says he needs clarity
Alan Shearer has admitted he has some sympathy for Erik ten Hag amid uncertainty over Manchester United’s ownership.
Ten Hag’s team suffered a 3-1 defeat at home to Brighton on Saturday, which further aggravated the negative situation surrounding United.
The manager’s decision to leave Rasmus Hojlund was met with boos from some United fans and the club has faced off-the-field issues, with Antony and Jadon Sancho currently out of the squad.
Despite the criticism ten Hag received, Shearer emphasized that the United boss must know whether or not the club is for sale.
Shearer said during Match of the Day: ‘I have a bit of sympathy for Ten Hag with all the serious external problems. Everything eventually ends up on the field, whether it is for sale or not. He needs to know what’s going on, the fans need to know.’
Alan Shearer says he has some sympathy for Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag
Shearer says Ten Hag and the United fans need clarity over the club’s ownership
United fans expressed their frustration that the sale of the club has yet to take place
The Glazer family said in November last year that they would consider selling the club, but ten months later there has been no sale.
Earlier this month it was reported that the Glazers will take United off the market.
However, insiders in both the camps of Qatari Sheikh Jassim and British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe said they had not been informed of such a conclusion.
United have lacked conviction in many of their performances this season and were beaten 3-1 by Arsenal ahead of the international break.
Against Brighton, goals from Danny Welbeck, Pascal Gross and Joao Pedro put United 3-0 behind before Hannibal Mejbri scored.
Sancho has been banned from first-team training at United after refusing to apologize to Ten Hag following their row.
Ten Hag is still angry about Sancho’s social media post, which essentially branded him a liar for saying the player was left out of the squad for the clash against Arsenal because he had not trained properly.
In addition, ten Hag said he has ‘no idea’ when Antony will return to the club.
Antony is currently spending time away from the club as he deals with allegations of domestic abuse. The player denies any wrongdoing and has not been arrested or charged.
Ten Hag has also faced off-field issues involving Antony (L) and Jadon Sancho (R)
