Former Premier League manager Tim Sherwood has blasted Erik ten Hag with a thin-veined dig amid Manchester United’s dismal start to the new season. Sherwood has sensationally claimed that United have regressed rather than progressed since Ten Hag became manager last summer, describing continued hostility towards the Glazer family as an excuse.
United have been beaten in six of their opening 11 games this term, leaving Ten Hag’s side 10th in the Premier League and bottom of Group A in the Champions League.
The Red Devils have already lost more games at Old Trafford than throughout the entirety of last season, tasting defeat against Brighton and Hove Albion, Crystal Palace and Galatasaray.
It’s a stark comparison to the success of Ten Hag’s maiden campaign, lifting the Carabao Cup and finishing third in the Premier League, securing a Champions League return.
But despite the Dutchman ending United’s six-year trophy drought at the first time of asking and laying the foundations for the massive rebuild that was required in M16, Sherwood isn’t convinced.
Scott McTominay earned Ten Hag some respite by scoring two stoppage-time goals off the bench to rescue what looked like a sure 1-0 home defeat to Brentford before the October international break.
Sherwood wasn’t moved by the result, though, insisting he hasn’t liked what he’s seen from Ten Hag since he landed in England.
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“[McTominay] has got Erik ten Hag out of the mire,” Sherwood told the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast.
“I don’t think those late goals make him a better manager, and we have to think the same about him as we would if they had lost the game. Ten Hag has taken the club backwards, and I don’t believe what he is doing is good enough.”
He added: “You’re always going to win games when you have the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford at your disposal. But the manager’s job is to improve players, and he’s not improving anyone.”
Ten Hag has faced mass adversity since taking the job, including the lingering uncertainty of United’s ownership during the Glazer family’s 11-month ‘strategic review’.
The Glazers haven’t invested a penny of their own money in United, sparking intense protests since their controversial 2005 takeover.
Ten Hag has had money to spend in the transfer market, though, using the vast riches generated through commercial deals and the club’s enormous fanbase.
But Sherwood has backed the Glazers, claiming how they run the Red Devils can’t be a valid excuse for Ten Hag’s shortcomings on the football pitch.
“When people talk about the Glazers being the problem at Manchester United, it’s almost like a get out of jail free card. It doesn’t matter about the owners or the chief executive,” Sherwood explained.
“What matters is that their set of players got outplayed by a team towards the bottom of the league, and that has happened multiple times this season. That is down to the manager.”
