Superfan Mark Goldbridge has said he would want to see Ruud van Nistelrooy in the hot seat if Manchester United sack Erik ten Hag this season. Goldbridge believes switching to Nistelrooy’s system would be the least jarring for the Red Devils.
Erik ten Hag Under Pressure After Poor Start to Season
Many expected Manchester United to sack Ten Hag after he only took the team to an eighth-place finish in the Premier League last season. However, Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS chose to keep him on, possibly after seeing Man Utd beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final.
Over the summer, Ten Hag’s side splurged heavily on new players, signing Leny Yoro, Josua Zirkzee, Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs de Ligt, and Noussair Mazraoui. Despite having a stronger team on paper, United do not look better than last season, with them currently toiling in 13th place in the Premier League rankings after six rounds.
Following the 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday (September 29), there have been fresh rumors about Ten Hag’s future. According to reports (via GiveMeSport), United could appoint assistant manager Nistelrooy as Ten Hag’s replacement if results do not improve over the coming weeks.
Mark Goldbridge Explains Why Ruud van Nistelrooy Should Be the Next Manchester United Boss
Pundit Goldbridge is okay with Nistelrooy coming on as Ten Hag’s replacement, and he has a concrete reason why. Speaking on The United Stand, he said:
“If someone tells me that Ten Hag’s getting the sack, but I can choose what happens, I would want Ruud van Nistelrooy as his successor.
“And I’ll tell you why. It’s not because he’s free, it’s not because he’s an ex-player, it’s not because he’s a nice guy. The reason I would want Ruud van Nistelrooy to work, because it’s the minimalist rebuild you can get.”
He concluded by adding:
“I think if you bring in any new manager, whether it’s Potter, Tuchel, or Nagelsmann, they are going to walk in, and you’re not going to have a clue what seven or eight players they wanna sign, and what 10 players they want to get rid of.”
With speculation about his future at an all-time high, Ten Hag will look to silence some of his critics when Manchester United takes on FC Porto in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday (October 3).
