Gary Neville reveals how Erik ten Hag  is at same point Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer were before the sack – and says injuries are not to blame

Gary Neville has revealed that history is repeating itself at Manchester United amid Erik ten Hag’s problems this season.

The Red Devils failed to win their fourth Premier League game in a row in a disappointing 2-2 draw away at Bournemouth.

It’s a result that leaves them ten points behind fifth-placed Tottenham – which could potentially be the final Champions League qualifying spot – with six games left to play.

Manchester United legend Neville has compared Ten Hag’s situation to Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer before him, where there was a ‘slump’ towards the end of their respective spells in the Old Trafford dugout.

Asked about United’s problems, Neville said Air sports: “There’s nothing left to say that we’ve seen it all before. It’s a repeat of what’s happened over the last six, seven, eight years with managers in their second or third season Manchester United where there seems to be a collapse at the end.

Gary Neville has compared Ten Hag’s current crisis to previous Manchester United managers, where there was a ‘slump’ towards the end of their spells in the Old Trafford dugout

Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer both made promising starts at Manchester United before things turned sour and they were eventually sacked by the club.

‘The most important thing is the performance levels. We have seen at Brentford and now at Bournemouth that it is very low performance levels, which is worrying.”

Much has been made of Manchester United’s injury crisis this season, although Neville has dismissed this should have any impact on their recent results.

He added: “I know people point out the injuries and Manchester United have had a mountain of injuries, but I said the same thing to Liverpool, nine of the team that started yesterday (Saturday) would probably be in the starting line-up if everyone was fit.

‘(Andre) Onana, (Harry) Maguire, (Diogo) Dalot, Casemiro, (Kobbie) Mainoo, Bruno Fernandes and (Rasmus) Hojlund, (Alejandro) Garnacho and (Marcus) Rashford.

‘That’s nine players who are Manchester United’s best players in those positions. You bring in Luke Shaw and you bring in (Lisandro) Martinez and you could potentially argue between (Raphael) Varane and Maguire, but there’s nothing in it.

“They have had a lot of injuries but at the moment there are no excuses for the level of performance we are seeing and every team has one or two players missing at certain points.

‘There is no explanation for how they play. The anger or disappointment has disappeared from the voices of many Manchester United fans. We’re at a point where the FA Cup is a big thing.

‘Winning a trophy two seasons in a row should never be sniffed at. You’ve always said that winning a trophy every season is a real achievement.

Manchester United appear to be out of the Champions League qualifying race and their only hope of salvaging anything from their disappointing season is the FA Cup

Neville said injuries are not the cause of their current crisis, believing Luke Shaw (left) and Lisandro Martinez are the only players currently on the sidelines making the starting XI.

‘But it’s a bizarre experience to see Man United, how bad they can be in games. Looking at Liverpool’s game, where they played parts well and parts they didn’t play well, and the inconsistency is rife. “I say the same thing every week, all Manchester United fans say that, and they just have to try to get to the end of the season and win the FA Cup, which won’t be easy.”

Manchester United’s performances have deteriorated this season after Ten Hag guided the Red Devils to a third-place finish and Carabao Cup success in his first season.

It’s a story reminiscent of Mourinho and Solskjaer’s from their respective spells at Old Trafford.

Mourinho guided United to a second-place finish and won three trophies with the club before being sacked in December 2018.

Solskjaer impressed enough to be given a permanent contract after initially being given the job on an interim basis and after guiding United to a second-place finish in 2021, he was sacked in November of the following season.

Pressure on Ten Hag’s future at the club has increased since Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS bought a stake in the club in December, with speculation that they would be keen to bring a new manager into the dugout as they work behind the scenes already making changes.

With a Champions League qualification spot looking unlikely, the Red Devils – who slipped to seventh place behind Newcastle last weekend – will now set their sights on the FA Cup, where they play Championship side Coventry in the semi-final on Sunday.

Neville says Manchester United’s season will be over if they don’t reach the FA Cup final

The pressure on Ten Hag has increased since Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS bought a stake in the club

Speaking about the Gary Neville Podcastst the former United right-back said: “She We have to win next weekend because if they don’t the season is over and Erik ten Hag has to look at this season where he could end his first two seasons with two trophies in the bank, one for each season.

‘That should never be sniffed at. There’s nothing left to say about some of the performances in the competition that we see and some of the things that we watch, the tweets and the likes. We’ve said it so many times and there’s no point in talking about it again.

‘But what we can say is that Erik ten Hag’s future largely depends on the FA Cup. Now that their performances in the competition are over, they are not going to change. What we see now is how they will finish the season. players have sometimes left home.

‘At home they have to turn on because there are 75,000 people who won’t let them get away with it. Man United fans never stop when they’re away from home and watch some really dodgy stuff. They never turn on the team or the manager and they are treated with the right joke. But the FA Cup is everything.’

Ten Hag, meanwhile, refused to ask a question about Manchester United’s possible league finish after the draw against Bournemouth.

Finishing below their current seventh spot would see the club endure their worst season in the Premier League era and Ten Hag was questioned about the possibility.

He said: ‘I don’t accept comment, take that question. That’s not important right now,” before abruptly walking away.”