- Manchester United will play Liverpool in the big FA Cup quarter-final on Sunday
- Erik ten Hag’s future could depend on his team’s performance in the competition
- I’m looking forward to Man United on Sunday… something has to happen for Jurgen’s juggernaut – It’s all a kick-off podcast
Erik ten Hag has urged his players to turn around Manchester United’s season – and possibly save his job – by knocking Liverpool out of the FA Cup on Sunday.
United take on their bitter rivals in a mouth-watering quarter-final at Old Trafford as they look to progress in the only competition in which they still have a chance of winning.
Qualifying for the Champions League and winning the FA Cup could be the key to Ten Hag surviving a summer of changes under United’s new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
And the Dutchman believes victory could be the catalyst for a wave that would make the difference in a troubled campaign.
‘Go play and ensure the turnaround’ was Ten Hag’s rallying cry to his players on Friday.
Erik ten Hag has urged his players to turn around Manchester United’s season against Liverpool on Sunday
The United manager’s last chance this season is in the FA Cup
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‘Some games are bigger than others and Manchester United-Liverpool is always a big game, especially when it’s the FA Cup quarter-final. We are looking forward to.
“We still have a chance to gain momentum. The team has shown lately that we are in a really good run of games, so they are confident that they can do it.
“Now we have to pick up the momentum and that’s what I feel when I train with them and around the games: they have the belief, the good confidence and the good atmosphere in the team.”
The uncertainty about Ten Hag’s future has also left his technical staff in limbo. United players are increasingly doubtful of their boss’s survival if he fails to reach the Champions League or lift a trophy.
Even if Ratcliffe remains loyal, there are no guarantees his backroom team will be retained. Significant changes are being made to the set-up, with Dan Ashworth taking over as director of football and Jason Wilcox becoming technical director.
Ten Hag and his assistants Mitchell van der Gaag and Steve McClaren signed a three-year contract when he moved to United in 2022.
‘Go play and ensure the turnaround’ was Ten Hag’s rallying cry to his players on Friday
Ten Hag and his assistants Mitchell van der Gaag and Steve McClaren signed a three-year contract when he moved to United in 2022 but are under pressure
Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool wants to record another famous victory over Man United
Others, such as forwards coach Benni McCarthy, are out of contract in June and are looking for certainty about their future.
McCarthy is popular with the team, but risks being stranded if he rejects other offers, stays at the club and Ten Hag is subsequently fired.
All this raises the stakes for tomorrow’s match with Liverpool.
“We are playing against a good team,” said Ten Hag. ‘We know where their strengths are, but also where their weaknesses are. We have to do our best to beat them.”