8 months ago
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ERIK TEN HAG stormed out of a press conference when he was told of an embarrassing record his Man Utd side is at risk of setting.
The Dutch tactician was in no mood for niceties, following his side’s dismal 2-2 draw at Bournemouth.
YouTube/BeanymanSports
YouTube/BeanymanSportsThe result saw the Red Devils miss out on the opportunity to close the gap on the race for a Champions League spot.
Worse still, after Newcastle thumped Tottenham 4-0 in the early Saturday kick off, United slipped to seventh spot.
Ten Hag faced the press after the game against the Cherries, when he saw red with a journalist’s remark.
The ex-Ajax boss was told should United finish any lower than seventh, it would be the club’s lowest ever finish in the Premier League.
An unhappy ten Hag rose from his chair, before commenting: “I don’t comment.
“That is not important for this moment.”
Ten Hag’s reaction comes after we revealed Man Utd’s players fear Erik ten Hag has now resigned himself to the sack at the end of the season.
A number of Red Devils stars have noticed a change in the demeanour of the Dutch boss in recent weeks.
That came after new part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe refused to deliver a public vote of confidence.
Worse still, ten Hag lost an ally in John Murtough who left his role as Director of Football last week.
That follows the departure of Chief Executive Richard Arnold and it was those two who were behind the appointment of Ten Hag after flying to Amsterdam to interview him.
Now Dan Ashworth is coming in from Newcastle to take on Murtough’s role with Jason Wilcox arriving from Southampton as Technical Director.
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Willy Kambwala wants to become rock at the back for Man Utd... but Erik ten Hag probably won't be around to see it
By Ken Lawrence
ERIK TEN HAG insists he is still the right man to take Manchester United forward.
The Dutchman believes he can recapture their former glories, despite escaping for the second time in a row what could have been humiliation by Liverpool at the weekend.
And teen Willy Kambwala revealed his “passion” is to become a rock at the heart of United’s defence after making just his second start of the season against their bitter rivals.
United trailed 1-0 at half-time on Sunday but fought back to take a 2-1 lead before Mo Salah’s 84th-minute equaliser from the penalty spot.
Ten Hag was pleased with the second-half performance, declaring it “another signal and message for the future,” before adding, “the team and squad have high potential.”
Yet the Old Trafford chief sounds more and more like he has his finger stuck in a leaky dyke and does not think it is going to hold.
Comeback or not, United still threw away a lead for the third time in eight days following their 4-3 defeat to Chelsea and 1-1 draw with Brentford — both deep into injury time.
And his body language suggests he expects to be crossing it to go back to Holland with his P45 this summer
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Ten Hag said: “I think it’s very important that the new ownership is working on this, to replace his function, to go into a new season.
“For the moment, of course, I miss his support, the surround support, you miss that. He has moved on, we worked very good together, I say thank you to John and wish him all the best for the future.”
Tuchel showed why he could be the perfect man for Man Utd, says Andy Dillon
By Andy Dillon
TOMMY TUCHEL could not have done it better had he submitted his CV to LinkedIn or Indeed.
Somehow mustering some gumption from the worst Bayern Munich team in more than a decade to stop a rampant Arsenal dead in their tracks is a spectacular job advert for a manager soon to be looking for work.
If Sir Jim Ratcliffe wasn’t watching from his Old Trafford office or from the cinema room in one of his tax havens, he should have been.
They may have even sat up and taken notice in Newcastle or in the owners’ Riyadh hub as Tuchel reminded everyone of his credentials as a top-level coach with devilish timing.
If change is coming then Tuchel is playing a trump card.
His side turned up and cowed the team that, as far as the current Premier League goes, is the best in England.
It may only add to the questions around Tuchel that after tossing away the only league easier to win than Scotland’s or Spain’s, Munich have sprung to life in Europe.
After 11 years unopposed as German champions, Chelsea’s former manager has chucked it in at home in a remarkable act of ineptitude. But freak years can happen.
Tuchel is an enigma. But that is part of the appeal as much as winning the Champions League with Chelsea just three months after taking the job.
With no new signings, he took a team that had lost five of the previous ten games and turned them into European Champions.
With Ratcliffe considering swingeing budget cuts at Old Trafford, a coach who can perform wonders on peanuts would be music to his ears.
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