Richard Keys has urged Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag to ‘go back to the Eredivisie’ if he doesn’t like the Premier League’s busy schedule.
United strengthened their top four hopes with a 2-0 win over Everton on Saturday afternoon with Scott McTominay and Anthony Martial scoring either side of half-time.
It was their third game in six days having been beaten by Newcastle United last Sunday, beating Brentford at Old Trafford on Wednesday night with ten Hag’s squad stretched as their continue to fight on three fronts this season.
Marcus Rashford was a casualty of that, forced off injured after 81 minutes on Saturday with what appeared to be a groin strain.
Ten Hag blamed United’s rampant fixture run for the injury, insisting it was ‘avoidable’.
BeIN SPORTS presenter Keys, who has taken persistent jabs at ten Hag throughout the season, has now mocked the United manager’s concerns, telling him he is free to return to Dutch football if he doesn’t like what he sees.
Addressing Ten Hag, Keys said: ‘Erik, as regards the scheduling and injuries, it’s the English Premier League.
‘If you don’t like it, there is always of course Eredivisie, where you can go and ply your trade.’
Rashford, who has scored 28 times for United this season, is set to undergo further assessment with ten Hag admitting post-match his forward ‘doesn’t look well.’
“I can’t say in this moment, you are doctor, maybe? I am not.’ ten Hag added. ‘I We have to wait, how bad or how good it is. Obviously he went off with a complaint, now we have to wait, set a diagnosis and we will see.
‘Some things you can’t avoid but it was avoidable. Why is the Premier League giving us the late Sunday night game [last week vs. Newcastle] and giving us the early Saturday game? I think it’s not right.
‘You run the risk, the players can’t recover that quickly, we know all research that players need a certain period to recover and it accumulates. So then you run even more of a risk. It’s also part of the schedule that we now find ourselves in this situation and now we can only pray he is not dropping off.
‘Not any manager at this stage of the season will rotate so much. I know it’s the toughest league, of all the leagues we are in you need a squad to rotate to a certain point.
‘But this was avoidable, it was not necessary to set the schedule like we have now. I think another fact is more important than the sporting element like protecting the players. Today we have seen a very entertaining afternoon but players can’t do it so often when they’re not fresh.
‘We create a lot of chances but missing the chances is part of a lack of freshness in the final moment and the risk of injuries. We have to protect the players and it’s in the interests of the total football. Everyone, the audience, wants to see great football and you need to have your best players.’
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