GARY NEVILLE has predicted when Erik ten Hag will be sacked should Manchester United’s dire start to the season continue.
The Red Devils lost 2-1 to West Ham yesterday to leave them 14th in the Premier League after nine games.
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Man Utd wasted several huge chances in the first-half before the Hammers won it with a controversial penalty.
The defeat has left Neville “worried” and he claimed the boss’ position could become untenable if they lose to Chelsea next Sunday.
He told his Sky Sports podcast: “Ten Hag is asking for trouble. 14th in the league nine games in – nine games is nearly 25 per cent of the season gone.
“It will be a big worry for everybody at the club because of the performance levels.
“United should have been up 2-0 but they lost.
“They are 14th, they’ve spent a fortune. I was quite clear at the end of last season that if they are in that same position in the league after the first few months there will be a lot of questions being asked.
“They’ve got a game in midweek (Leicester in the Carabao Cup) but it will all come down to next weekend’s game against Chelsea.
“Anybody that is half decent, that can play and have quality can beat this United team and they are in danger.
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“I don’t think there can be another defeat next weekend at Old Trafford.
“It’s getting to that point where there is a real worry, I’m worried.
“The results, the lack of goals and the lack of performances are stacking up week after week.
“These are the players that have been recruited over the last couple of seasons mainly.
“It’s a sobering time. It’s getting to the point whereby it will become unbearable the pressure in the next week or two around Ten Hag purely because of the position in the league.
“They’re 14th. You can’t be 14th in the league after nine games.”
Only Crystal Palace and Southampton have scored less goals than Man Utd’s eight goals in the Prem this season.
Neville slammed United’s attackers, ranting: “It must be getting to a point now where the defensive players and the coaching staff must be saying to this is unacceptable. It’s unacceptable to miss chances like that.
“Goalkeepers and defenders get killed for mistakes, but their comes a point you are missing chances like United did and it harms you, you invite trouble.”
On the controversial penalty awarded to West Ham, Neville claimed on-field ref David Coote did not want to go against Michael Oliver on VAR.
The pundit explained: “It’s not right that one, every team gets a bad decision, but that one is not right.
“The interesting thing for me is that when Coote went over to the screen, he must have watched it, it felt like eight times.
“He does not think it is a penalty, he is not having this.
“I think the pressure of being sent over to the screen by a dominant referee, nobody likes to upset their superiors.
“If you are young in the office and someone senior makes a call, you don’t really want to tell them that they are wrong.
“I think it was a bit of that because I don’t think Coote was anywhere near thinking that was a penalty.”
Why NOBODY is the right man to replace Erik ten Hag at Man Utd
SunSport’s DAVE KIDD says Erik ten Hag’s time at Man Utd is up… and explains what’s wrong with all the potential candidates to replace him.
THIS is a mid-table squad at an underachieving club, with a lot of unwanted players on big money.
And Ratcliffe is an instinctive cost-cutter who may not pay top dollar to the next manager.
If this club wasn’t called ‘Manchester United’, it wouldn’t be an especially desirable job.
The good news for United is that their new sporting director, Dan Ashworth, is a very decent judge of a manager.
He has been instrumental in three previous managerial appointments — Gareth Southgate for England, Graham Potter for Brighton and Eddie Howe for Newcastle.
None were wildly popular at the time, all were conspicuous successes.
Interestingly, Ashworth’s No 1 choice for the Newcastle job was Unai Emery, who turned him down to stay at Villarreal but has since proved that judgment right by excelling at Aston Villa.
Emery may well deliver the coup de grace to Ten Hag on Sunday — especially with Bruno Fernandes suspended and Kobbie Mainoo an injury doubt.
And the Spaniard would be an excellent fit for United — yet there is next to no chance that he would abandon Villa’s Champions League campaign to take the Old Trafford job, not least because he isn’t a stark raving madman.
Howe would be another good candidate to succeed Ten Hag but, although he has become frustrated on Tyneside, the Saudis would surely not allow Ratcliffe to poach Howe, as they reluctantly did with Ashworth.
Potter is available but his Chelsea experience and lack of charisma would make him a tough sell.
Which brings us to Southgate, who remains close with Ashworth and is an excellent man-manager who was seriously considered by United last spring.
Yet, despite having led England to two of their three major finals, Southgate’s reputation for over-caution was only enhanced during the Euros.
Mauricio Pochettino, passed over twice by United, is out of the equation having taken the United States job.
Thomas Tuchel would be a popular and gettable option but, despite being a fine coach and a very engaging man, he is considered something of a loose cannon.
Likewise, Roberto De Zerbi, now at Marseille after his brief Brighton stint sparkled then fizzled out.
Kieran McKenna — a gifted former United coach who has won back-to-back promotions with Ipswich Town — is an intriguing candidate but the imminent vacancy may come a year or so too soon.
Marco Silva, the extremely under-rated Fulham boss, has been on United’s radar and should not be discounted.
Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim, last season’s ‘next big thing’, was passed over by West Ham as well as Liverpool this summer and is not an easy man to pin down.
Zinedine Zidane, who has taken over from Alan Curbishley as a 20-1 shot for every Premier League job, is a ‘figurehead’ manager and not an Ashworth type.
Ruud van Nistelrooy, the former United goal machine who joined Ten Hag’s coaching team in the summer is the bookies’ favourite. Simply because he’s in the building and he’s Dutch.
So, yes, getting rid of Ten Hag is the easy part.
