Manchester United will be making a big mistake to sack Erik Ten Hag

 

Comment by Godwin Odiko

The Manchester United's hierarchy will be making a grievous mistake if they let current manager Erik Ten Hag leave at the end of the season.

I was one of the happiest Manchester United fan in the world when the club announced that they had acquired the services of the Dutch tactician in 2022. I was so elated because I know the quality of the former Ajax manager. And he went on to prove that the decision to hire him as manager of the Red Devils was right by winning the Carabao Cup and finishing third in his first season.

However, things haven't really gone as expected for the Manchester United's manager this season which is partly due to the number of high profile injuries he has had to endure so far this season.

Erik Ten Hag has barely gotten the opportunity to select his best eleven this season and has had to manage players playing in strange positions with the latest being Casemiro playing at centre back against Coventry in the semi final of the FA Cup on Sunday at Wembley.

The English media and some gullible Manchester United fans have not helped matters calling for the sack of a manager who has gotten Manchester United into three finals in his first two years in charge. In football these days, managers are not afforded enough time and that is really bad considering how Manchester United would have lost a manager as good as Sir Alex Ferguson in his early years if they hadn't exercise patience with him and allowed him turn things around.

I am a professional football coach and I know what it takes to assemble a winning team week in week out. It's not an easy feat. A manager can make all the right decisions but he is still not the one who is going to be on the field to prosecute the game for 90 minutes. These players go into the pitch to waste numerous goalscoring chances and even commit silly fouls that put the team at harms way.

Looking back at some recent results from Manchester United's game, one will agree with me that the errors have been mostly on the part of the players and not the manager. At Chelsea recently, the Red Devils were leading 3-2 with just additional time remaining for the game to end only to give away a penalty and lose concentration to eventually lose the game 4-3. How is that Erik Ten Hag's fault? This is just one example out of the many the players have made to lose matches from winning position or draw matches from winning position this season.

Erik Ten Hag was given a three and a half years contract when he signed in 2022, he should be allowed to at least complete his contract at the club before any decision is made on him. Sacking him at the end of the season will be the biggest mistake ever at Manchester United given how scarse finding a quality manager is out there. 

Liverpool are still searching for a quality manager to replace Jurgen Klopp who will be leaving at the end of the season. Goes to show you how difficult it is to get a quality manager these days.

The English media are pushing a narrative for Gareth Southgate to replace Erik Ten Hag a move that won't only be regrettable but costly if it happens. 

Arteta has spent close to five years as Arsenal's coach with just one trophy to show yet no one is calling for his sack. We all know how Jurgen Klopp struggled at Liverpool before eventually finding success. So this thing takes time and patience. 

What I expect the board to do which I think they are doing right now is appoint competent people to run the affairs of the club. Their recent acquisitions shows the club is heading in the right direction. It will only spoil what they are trying to achieve if they allow pressure from the media and fans get into their heads and fire a brilliant manager in Erik Ten Hag.

The former Ajax manager should be backed this summer in the window regardless of how the season ends and let's hope there won't be as many injuries next season as we had this season. If he is backed in the window this summer and he doesn't have too many injury worries next season and then he goes on to underperform then we can start calling for his head. But until then, he is still the best man to take Manchester United back to the glory days.