Manchester United should sack Erik Ten Hag and replace him with Roberto De Zerbi.
That is the view of former Aston Villa and Liverpool striker Stan Collymore, who doesn’t think Ten Hag is the right man to lead the Red Devils despite the Dutchman lifting the 2022-23 Carabao Cup in his first season in charge.
Eighth in the Premier League table and on the verge of being dumped out of the Champions League at the group stage, United, who have already been eliminated from the Carabao Cup, are enduring a dreadful run.
And with Luton Town next up for Ten Hag’s struggling side, the pressure on the United boss could be turned up a notch. Failure to beat Rob Edwards’ relegation-threatened Hatters would lead to serious questions being asked over Ten Hag’s position in the Old Trafford dugout.
Irrespective of what happens at Old Trafford on Saturday though, Collymore thinks United should part ways with the former Ajax manager.
“Erik Ten Hag does not have the personality to carry Manchester United,” Collymore said in an exclusive interview.
“Being Manchester United manager comes with immense responsibility but whenever I look at Ten Hag on the sidelines, he just doesn’t fill me with confidence. It’s quite the opposite actually – he looks like a rabbit caught in headlights, especially whenever United fall behind.
“I know the club try not to sack their managers during a season but he has got to go. If the Glazers and Sir Jim Ratcliffe decide to stick with Ten Hag for the time being, fine, but come the end of the season they must do everything in their power to get Roberto De Zerbi out of Brighton and Hove Albion.”
Going on to explain why De Zerbi would be his pick to succeed Ten Hag at Manchester United, Collymore believes the Italian makes for a better man-manager and coach.
“Let De Zerbi come in and ship out all the deadwood. He’s a beast, he wouldn’t mess around,” he added.
“Not only that, but he would almost certainly get the best out of their underperforming squad. He can mould a team to play the ‘Manchester United way’, and make no mistake if he took charge at United and was in a press conference following a defeat he’d make it known to the players that their performance wasn’t good enough. No ifs or buts, if De Zerbi said they must improve, they would have to improve or risk being let go.
“It’s really simple for me – Ten Hag should get sacked, and if Manchester United are serious about changing to this coaching philosophy and having a proper managerial presence around the place then De Zerbi is their man.”
Do you agree with Collymore? – Would De Zerbi do a good job at Manchester United? – Let us know in the comments.