Manchester United: Erik ten Hag sack stance could 'already have been decided' ahead of pivotal week, says Gary Neville

 Erik ten Hag, Manager of Manchester United, looks on prior to the UEFA Champions League match between Galatasaray A.S. and Manchester United at Ali Sami Yen Arena on November 29, 2023 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Ahmad Mora/Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag's future could well have already been decided by the club's new decision-makers, despite the Dutchman's side still in the hunt for Champions League football next term.

That's according to legendary Red Devil Gary Neville, who gave his opinion on the situation at Old Trafford during last night's Monday Night Football between West Ham United and Brentford. The Sky Sports pundit's former side lost 2-1 at the weekend to Fulham in yet another low point in a tough season – and with the Manchester Derby at the weekend, things could yet get worse.

Neville spoke passionately about Ten Hag's previous work at Ajax and style of play, noting that he is among many unable to decipher what the 54-year-old is trying to achieve at Manchester United. When asked by colleague Jamie Carragher whether the Red Devils have to act quickly to avoid the merry-go-round of managerial changes this summer, however, Neville replied that he believes a decision may have already been made. 

Gary Neville working on Sky Sports as part of their coverage of Aston Villa vs Sheffield United in December 2023.

Neville thinks Ten Hag could be sacked – regardless of how he ends the season (Image credit: Getty Images)

“I think that if you look at the guy who’s come in from Manchester City as CEO [Omar Berrada] and they’re looking to get Dan Ashworth in from Newcastle, they’re going to have made the decision quite quickly, if not already,“ Neville affirmed.

“I suspect that Jim Ratcliffe [and] Dave Brailsford already know if they’re going to keep Erik ten Hag as manager next season. I can’t believe they’re going to wait until May to make that decision and then find themselves short.”

Manchester United have been accused of incompetence behind the scenes for years – but now, Neville says that he doesn't think his former employers are going to let whether Ten Hag qualifies for the Champions League distract them from their opinion of whether the Dutchman is capable of taking the club forward. 

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is said to have already identified a first signing at Man Utd.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe may have decided to sack Ten Hag already, says Neville (Image credit: Getty Images)

“Where Manchester United have been found out in the last 10 years is in recruitment: making poor decisions, making late decisions, not being ahead of the game,” former full-back Neville continued. “I don’t think they’re going to do that. For me, I suspect they’ve probably already come to a conclusion already.

“It may be that whether [United reach the] Champions League or not, they stick with that decision.”

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Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.