Van Basten Urges Manchester United to Stick With Ten Hag for Long-Term Success
Erik ten Hag’s future at Manchester United seemed uncertain after a disappointing Premier League season. However, his team’s impressive FA Cup final victory over Manchester City has raised hopes that he may be given another chance.
The club is currently conducting a final season review that will determine Ten Hag’s fate. While talks have been held with potential replacements like Mauricio Pochettino and Thomas Frank, no decision has been made regarding the Dutchman’s future.
Despite United’s eighth-place finish, their worst in 34 years, Ten Hag has already won two trophies in his first two years at the club. Last season, he secured the Carabao Cup, and now, with the FA Cup triumph, he has proven his ability to achieve success.
Dutch legend Marco van Basten believes that United would be making a mistake by replacing Ten Hag this summer. Van Basten acknowledges that Ten Hag has made mistakes, particularly in the transfer market, but he maintains that the manager is capable of taking the club to a higher level.
“It was not a good match, but it is great that he managed to win against City with such a limited team,” Van Basten said. “Despite few opportunities with the players, he was still able to win the FA Cup, which was very important. As a result, they play European football. I think he is still the right man to get something done with Manchester United.”
Van Basten highlights Ten Hag’s previous successes at FC Utrecht and Go Ahead Eagles, suggesting that he is a manager who can build and strengthen a team. However, he also acknowledges that Ten Hag made mistakes in the transfer market by signing players who did not perform well. Van Basten believes that this responsibility lies with the technical director and that Ten Hag took on too much.
Ten Hag’s options this season were limited by a series of defensive injuries, forcing him to field 15 different centre-half combinations throughout the campaign. Van Basten argues that these circumstances should be taken into account when evaluating Ten Hag’s performance.
“I do think he is capable of taking Manchester to a higher level. And that takes time, especially with a year like this, in which they have had to play so often with a different composition,” van Basten said. “Then you could say that he has to take care of that himself, but there were just a lot of injuries. I think you have to take that into account.”
Ultimately, the decision regarding Ten Hag’s future lies with Manchester United. While recent talks with potential replacements indicate that the club is considering other options, Van Basten’s endorsement of Ten Hag’s abilities suggests that he may still have a chance to lead the team to success in the long run. Only time will tell if United will stick with Ten Hag and give him the opportunity to prove his worth.