Gary Neville wants Erik ten Hag to stay at Manchester United (Picture: YouTube)
Gary Neville has warned Manchester United over sacking Erik ten Hag and named three managers who would be ‘bad fits’ for the Old Trafford club.
The run-in represents a crucial period for Ten Hag as he attempts to convince the United hierarchy to give him more time in the hot-seat.
After finishing third and winning the League Cup in Ten Hag’s first season, Manchester United have underwhelmed this term, slipping nine points outside the top-four places and suffering an embarrassing group-stage exit in the Champions League.
United could yet end the season on a high by winning the FA Cup – they face Championship side Coventry City in the semi-finals – and climbing up the Premier League table.
It remains to be seen whether United will stick with Ten Hag, with the club’s new minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe said to be considering going in a new direction.
Manchester United have recently been linked with England boss Gareth Southgate and former Chelsea and Brighton manager Graham Potter.
Wolves’ Gary O’Neil was also recently linked with United, though his potential role would be in a coaching set-up beneath the manager.
Ten Hag remains under huge pressure at Old Trafford (Picture: Getty)
Given the names currently being linked with Manchester United, Neville hopes Ten Hag remains in the position and gets one more year to prove he has what it takes to turn the stagnating club around.
‘I would like to see him stay in the sense that I’m not quite sure at the moment who else is out there,’ Neville said on The Overlap.
‘If Jurgen Klopp was on the market or you could get a world-class manager in it might be different but when you look at the options, we could end up with someone who isn’t as good as Erik ten Hag and hasn’t got his pedigree.
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‘Ten Hag also has two years’ of experience at Old Trafford now. The fact he’s had that good first season and then a difficult one means he should be better for it.
‘So for me I don’t like the idea of him leaving and United bringing in the kind of names that have been suggested. That doesn’t feel right.
‘I would rather stick with Erik ten Hag and believe in him. If he has another season like this he obviously won’t still be there but we could still win the FA Cup and we could sneak into the Champions League.’
Neville also said he does not see Southgate, Potter or O’Neil at Manchester United as they continue to be linked with roles at the Theatre of Dreams.
Gary O’Neil has been linked with a shock move to United (Picture: Getty)
‘As well as Gareth has done with England, I’ve never seen that as a fit with Man United,’ Neville added.
‘I don’t see Graham Potter as a fit and that’s been a strong rumour too. I don’t see the fit between Gary O’Neil and United.
‘Instinctively as a fan you hear a name and you feel it or you don’t feel it. It’s not a feeling I’ve had. I’ve not woke up and thought they look like a Manchester United manager.’
United, who are 17 points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal, return to action on Saturday with a trip to west London to face Brentford.
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