Solskjaer receives blow as former Man Utd star wants Ten Hag as manager
Martin Macdonald
- 13 Nov 2021 14:01 GMT
- 4 min read
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is under major pressure at Old Trafford and it has just intensified slightly after former team-mate Rio Ferdinand endorsed Ajax boss Erik ten Hag as the Norwegian's potential replacement.
Solskjaer was given the job at Man Utd on a permanent basis after originally being appointed in a temporary role.
Though he guided the club to a second-place finish in the Premier League in 2020/21, they have regressed in 2021/22 despite huge spending in the summer.
Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo were all brought in for a huge outlay, but results on the pitch have been poor.
Man Utd have played 11 matches in the Premier League so far and won just five, while their last two fixtures at Old Trafford have resulted in embarrassing losses against Liverpool and Manchester City.
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Following the departures of Dean Smith at Aston Villa and Daniel Farke at Norwich, Solskjaer is now the bookies' favourite to be the next manager to face the sack in the English top flight.
Last week, Ferdinand suggested Solskjaer "pass the baton" on to a new manager at the club, saying:
"I was always deep down a bit sceptical. Could he take us on to be champions? I wasn't sure, I wasn't fully convinced, but hoped he would be able to do that.
"But the showing with the squad he accumulated to the beginning of this season and what I've seen this season, I just feel that maybe it might be the time now for the baton to be handed over to someone else who can take us on."
Ten Hag to take over at Man Utd?
One of the favourites to replace Solskjaer, should Man Utd sack him, is Ajax head coach Ten Hag.
Ferdinand believes this would be a smart move by the club hierarchy.
“For any manager coming in to a new club, it’s almost like you’ve got to show people why you’re there immediately,” the former Man Utd central defender said on his FIVE YouTube channel.
“I use Antonio Conte as a good reference point for that.
“Whenever he joins a new club, there is no negotiables and he tells them, ‘this is what’s happening, this is what I am, if you’re not with me you can go.’
“I think that’s the type of attitude and the type of mentality that separates the good managers from the top managers.
“You’ve got to be able to go in there and command a whole dressing room full of egos, personality, characters. That’s the job of anyone coming in.
“Now I don’t know Ten Hag personally but he’s doing a fantastic job at Ajax. Let’s remember that Ajax isn’t a small club.
“They’re a massive club, the biggest club in Holland.
“Yes, it’s different and the landscape is different but it’s still a huge club that he’s got to work with and the expectation levels there every day are to win.
"That’s something that will be there every day and would be there if he was to come to Manchester United.
“Anyone who comes in, they’ve got to be able to deal with people. That’s the art of a fantastic manager.
“You’ve obviously got to get it right tactically but motivating people on a daily basis to produce the goods is a huge part of it.”
