Questions over Erik ten Hag’s future have arisen as Manchester United continue to struggle.
In spite of high hopes for the new season, the Dutchman’s time at Old Trafford has been marred by a nightmare run of losses.
After moving to Manchester United from Ajax, he enjoyed an outstanding first year, helping the club finish third in the Premier League and win the Carabao Cup.
Late drama and two goals from substitute Scott McTominay helped the Red Devils come from behind and defeat Brentford on Saturday.
However, the club’s supporters have seen some alarming things in the team’s recent humiliating losses to Galatasaray and Crystal Palace.
The pressure is on new goalie Andre Onana after he made many costly mistakes in recent games, including one this weekend that almost cost his side another disappointing result.
As a result, Ten Hag is under increasing scrutiny, and rumors regarding his future in England are widespread.
Fallouts with Ronaldo and Sancho didn’t help
The summer’s high-profile purchases raised anticipation levels to new heights at Old Trafford, where the club had already made permanent acquisitions of players like Onana, Mason Mount, and Rasmus Hojlund. Ten Hag’s future looks bleak with just 12 points after eight Premier League games and two straight UEFA Champions League defeats.
His tenure at Manchester has been further complicated by the fact that he has clashed with a superstar of Cristiano Ronaldo caliber, as well as former Borussia Dortmund ace Jadon Sancho. Now that he has had greater funds to spend on the transfer market, he must produce a dramatic turnaround in the team’s fortunes.
Back to familiar territory?
The stakes are becoming higher, and speculation about Ten Hag’s future is rife, claims Mike Verwijn, a journalist from the Netherlands. And he thinks he may come back to Ajax to replace Mark Steijn.
“You hear people talking about that, like: would Ten Hag want to return? He has now tasted the Premier League and I think that after his successful period at Ajax there will be more interest in him. On the other hand: it is a wonderful moment to join Ajax now. It couldn’t get much worse, so I think that if he is fired, he will become a candidate again in the long term,” Verwijn said.
As the Dutch titans are also struggling, local TV journalist Kenneth Perez also believes a return to Amsterdam is possible, suggesting to ESPN’s Voetbalpraat: “Imagine if Erik ten Hag were fired, would it be very crazy for Ajax to ask him back? Manchester United is known for the fact that things can get difficult if things don’t go well. Then it’s not a crazy idea, is it?”
Photo credit: IMAGO / Sportimage
