Michael Owen has advised Manchester United to remove Erik ten Hag immediately or risk being “annihilated” by Manchester City in the FA Cup final.
Former United striker Owen feels that a dramatic change in the dugout is required to save the season following his former club’s humiliating 4-0 loss to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Monday evening. He wants the board to get rid of Ten Hag as soon as possible because he believes the Dutch manager is incapable of managing a club of United’s size.
Speaking to Premier League Productions, Owen said: “I’ve said it for a long time that Ten Hag is not the right man for this job, I’ve been saying it for ages and ages. He cannot, simply cannot, manage the team next season. I almost wonder now, they’ve got a cup final and they’ve got a few important games that could mean European football next year or not. At some point you’ve got to make a decision, they’re going to get absolutely hammered by Manchester City [in the FA Cup final], they’re going to get annihilated, in fact, Arsenal will smash them to bits at Old Trafford, Newcastle will probably beat them and I wouldn’t even fancy them going to Brighton either.
“They might not get anything out of the rest of the season, playing like that. I just wonder, there’s just so much at stake, even if it’s only for four games, I wonder whether the board might just have to try to do something here and now and be quite radical about it. He cannot, simply cannot, manage this team next season. He’s not good enough. I’ve thought it for ages, and he’s just not good enough to manage Manchester United.”
Owen believes that Steve McClaren, Ten Hag’s assistant, would potentially do a better job than the current boss and backed him to take the reins for the final few games in the season.
“They’ve got to try something different. Anything. Yes,” he said. “We’ve played under Steve McClaren, he’s coached us, there’s no way that his fingerprints are anywhere near that team. Owen played under the guidance of McClaren when he was in charge of the England national team in 2006.
Paul Scholes, who was also part of that England squad, suggested that Ten Hag does not pay heed to his assistant while drawing up the tactics.
“It suggests to me he’s not touching that team. The manager [Ten Hag] must not be letting him touch that team, I don’t think,” the United legend said. “Everyone thinks we were a great team that attacked everyone and went at people, sometimes we played against better teams and Steve McClaren put better sessions on to make sure you stopped other teams, getting the distances right, getting your angles right, especially in centre midfield, across all midfield. And he has got no impression on that [Ten Hag] team whatsoever. He’s the best coach I ever had.”
Owen further added: “He’s a brilliant, brilliant coach. There’s no way on earth he’s got anything to do with coaching that team. It’s impossible. Because that team is absolutely clueless, right the way through it. There’s not one thing I think works in that team. I don’t rate anything about it. Steve McClaren is a top operator and I can only think he’s there and there are other people who are coaching the first team and he’s just a bystander.”
McClaren succeeded Sven-Goran Eriksson in the England dugout in 2006 after Luiz Felipe Scholari turned down the FA. The Three Lions won nine of the 18 matches during his spell but failed to qualify for Euro 2008 which forced the English FA to part ways with him.
Owen still remains confident in McClaren’s abilities and when asked if he would be happy to see the former England manager in their final four games, he said: “For four games, yeah… anything. They’re going to get smashed out of the ballpark by every team playing like that today. Manchester City are going to demoralise them at Wembley in front of millions of people, it’s just embarrassing how they’re playing, something’s got to change, I know it’s going to change in the summer but I think it’s got to change now. There’s European football next year, this is a trophy.”
United will face Arsenal next on Sunday at Old Trafford.
