June 12th 2024.
It has been officially announced that Erik ten Hag will continue to be the manager of Manchester United for the upcoming season. This news has come as a surprise to former United player Teddy Sheringham, who believes that last season was below par under the Dutchman's leadership.
The Red Devils had a disappointing season, finishing eighth in the Premier League and failing to make an impact in the Champions League. However, they did manage to end the season on a high note by winning the FA Cup against local rivals Manchester City at Wembley. Despite this, there were doubts about Ten Hag's future at the club.
The club's hierarchy had been considering other options, such as Thomas Tuchel and Roberto De Zerbi, but ultimately decided to stick with Ten Hag for the time being. Sheringham, who was part of the legendary treble-winning squad in 1999, expressed his surprise at this decision and even joked that they may have flipped a coin to make the choice.
"I’m quite surprised with the decision to keep Erik ten Hag to be honest. It could have gone either way, but Ten Hag had a really poor season in the Premier League – losing 14 games – and didn’t have the consistency that Manchester United really look for and expect."
However, Sheringham acknowledges that winning the FA Cup was a great achievement, especially by beating a tough opponent like Manchester City. He believes that this victory may have swayed the decision in Ten Hag's favor.
"At the end of the day though, he’s won the FA Cup in brilliant fashion by beating Manchester City in the final – it couldn’t have been any harder on paper. It could have gone either way – they could have easily said that their Premier League form wasn’t good enough."
Despite their faith in Ten Hag, Manchester United are aware that they need to strengthen their squad in the summer transfer window. Sheringham agrees with this and believes that a new striker should be their top priority.
"I think Rasmus Hojlund has done alright. It’s tough playing centre-forward these days because wingers don’t really get down to the by-line and feed players in the box, and he’s not getting an awful lot of supply in midfield."
Sheringham also praises Hojlund for his performance last season, but acknowledges that he may need some help upfront. He believes that United should be looking for another striker to provide support, especially since they will be playing a lot of games and may face injuries.
"Having said that, the club need another striker without a doubt. They’re going to be playing a lot of games next season and encountering a lot of injuries, so they’ll definitely need another striker from somewhere."
Overall, Sheringham believes that Manchester United have made a bold decision in keeping Ten Hag as their manager and will need to support him in the transfer market if they want to have a successful season.
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