- Man United manager was previously told to ‘quit’ his position at the club
- Erik ten Hag’s close friend revealed how the United boss feels during the criticism
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A close friend of Erik ten Hag told the Manchester United manager to ‘quit’ his position and admitted he was surprised the Dutchman is still in charge at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag faces another intense period of criticism of his management after a dismal start to his third season in charge, which saw United languish in 13th place in the Premier League standings and without a win in the two Europa League matches openers.
The 50-year-old has remained adamant he is the best person to lead the English giants to success, but he could be sacked if United lose to Aston Villa on Sunday with Sir Jim Ratcliffe included.
Ten Hag survived being sacked in the summer after winning the FA Cup and signed a new contract with the club when the INEOS-backed sporting department decided to keep him at the helm.
They then backed the former Ajax boss with over £200m in new recruits to take Ten Hag’s total transfer spend at the club to over £600m, with the majority of his signings largely failing to impress.
A close friend of Erik ten Hag told the Manchester United manager to ‘resign’ his position
United have had a torrid start to Ten Hag’s third season at Old Trafford
The United manager remains convinced he is the best person to lead the club forward
Now one of his oldest friends, Leon Ten Voorde, has revealed the advice he gave Ten Hag as he tried to survive another scare.
The pair grew up together in the Netherlands and have been friends for more than forty years. Ten Voorde claimed he told Ten Hag to leave his position last season as United had their worst Premier League finish.
‘I advised him to leave last summer. He won the FA Cup, so you leave through the front door,” he told TC Tubantia’s De Ballen Verstand podcast.
‘He has had a lot of injuries in the past year. But then trainers think: ‘I can turn the tide’.
However, despite the outside pressure on Ten Hag, his friend admits the United chief remains calm about his situation, adding: ‘How long do United think this can go on? That question is now hanging over United and Ten Hag again.
‘Generally he is calm and relaxed. But I can’t imagine this leaving you completely untouched.’
Ten Hag is trying to prepare his under-fire United selection for a weekend trip to Villa Park
Ten Hag will look to lift his United side when they travel to a confident Aston Villa team in the Midlands on Sunday after returning from Portugal.
He will be boosted by the availability of captain Bruno Fernandes.
Fernandes had been due to serve a suspension after being sent off against Spurs before the red card was withdrawn earlier this week.