TEN HAG ‘NEEDS TO WIN FA CUP’ TO KEEP MAN UTD JOB AS AMBITIOUS REPLACEMENT IS NAMED

Paul Merson believes that Erik ten Hag will need to win the FA Cup in order to keep his job at Manchester United and his ideal successor has been named.

There’s no denying that the Red Devils have fallen well below expectations this season. The club currently sit seventh in the table and exited the Champions League at the first hurdle.

However, with Ten Hag’s men still in the FA Cup, there’s still a chance that his side manages to win some silverware this season.

Man Utd face Coventry City in an FA Cup semi-final clash at Wembley this weekend and given the pressure on Ten Hag, it’s seen as a must-win game.

Merson already thinks that it’s time for a change at Old Trafford, but the thought of losing to Coventry would surely be the final nail in the coffin for Ten Hag.

“What lose out? Get beat by Coventry? Wow! He would be lucky if he got back on the coach,” Merson said on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday.

“It cannot happen. It could happen, but there’s no way he would be back in the job. I think something has got to change here anyway.”

READ MORE: Jamie Carragher exclusive on Cristiano Ronaldo: How Man Utd’s ‘big problem’ helped create their ‘best team’

Merson names ideal replacement

There’s been plenty of talk around Man Utd and who could potentially replace Ten Hag. The likes of Graham Potter and Gareth Southgate have been among the names mentioned in recent months.

However, Merson thinks that the Red Devils should turn to a manager like Ancelotti who would be a ‘quick fix’ at the club.

“Personally I think they need someone like a Ancelotti. I know it’s a quick fix, and I know Man United don’t need a quick fix, but if you watched the game the other night, Ancelotti is getting superstars to run themselves into the ground, superstars to run themselves into the ground, to leave nothing left on the pitch. That’s what I don’t see at Man United.

“For me, they need to win the FA Cup to have any chance of him keeping his job, in my opinion. Again, it would only have to be Ancelotti.

“I don’t see anybody else going in at Man United. I know it’s a quick fix, as I said, but they need to get back to basics.

“They need top players that are not even in the same breath as some of the players at Real Madrid to be working like the players at Real Madrid are. And, I don’t see that at the moment at Man United.”

While Ancelotti would undoubtedly be a hit at Old Trafford, it doesn’t seem very likely that he would make the move at this stage, especially as he’s under contract at Real Madrid until 2026.

READ MORE: ‘Terrible’ Ten Hag signing is presented three options as Man Utd star maintains a ‘strong market abroad’

2024-04-20T14:29:19Z dg43tfdfdgfd