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Legendary Premier League striker Alan Shearer has claimed that Erik ten Hag’s future at Manchester United could hinge on the club’s next two matches.
Ten Hag was under pressure for most of last season as United finished eighth in the Premier League, their worst-ever finish since 1989/90.
It looked like he was headed for the sack but afforded himself some more time as a result of beating Manchester City at Wembley to win the FA Cup final.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his recruitment personnel explored alternative managerial options but ultimately, they decided to stick with Ten Hag.
However, following United’s last two top-flight losses against Brighton and Hove Albion and Liverpool, Ten Hag is under scrutiny once again. In particular, the team’s performance against Liverpool left a lot to be desired. Arne Slot’s men were dominant from the start and never really got out of second gear.
Ex-United forward Michael Owen recently stated that United should part ways with Ten Hag to improve their situation on the pitch.
According to Shearer, the Dutchman will struggle to keep his job if the Reds suffer defeats in their upcoming matches vs. Southampton and Crystal Palace.
“Man United’s results will have to improve massively for Ten Hag to still be at the club at Christmas. A lot will depend on their next two results.”
“After the defeat to Brighton and the manner of defeat to Liverpool, if the team doesn’t see a massive improvement in the next game or two then it will be really, really difficult for him because the noise will only get louder.”
Shearer doubled down on his concerns about Marcus Rashford, even after Ten Hag labelled his remarks as “stupid.”
A few days ago on Match of the Day, Shearer criticised Rashford’s poor displays and desire to improve. In response, Ten Hag branded the England legend’s comments as “stupid.”
Nevertheless, the ex-Newcastle striker reiterated his views as he stated, “I was quite content and happy with what I said about Man United and Marcus Rashford before the game. I totally get Erik Ten Hag’s reaction because the question was put to him in his press conference about one of his players, and he’s got no other option than to protect his player. I totally understood that.”
“However, I would stand by everything I said, and nothing changed for me from what I saw at the weekend. I don’t see much change in Man United in their three league games so far compared to what we saw last year, when they finished eighth. They’re still wide open and still struggle in forward positions so I stand by what I said.”
He added on Rashford, “In his current form, I don’t see Marcus Rashford reviving his England career. I personally don’t know his mentality, or what his approach is in terms of training, but there’s only one way back, which is to train and have the right attitude.”
“But looking from the outside, for me, he should have left Man United to reignite his career because he’s gone very static for whatever reason, and it hasn’t worked for him for a while now.”
Shearer noted that only Rashford can pinpoint why he has been unable to find his form in front of goal.
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