Former Premier League hit-man Stan Collymore hasn’t held back in his condemnation of Man United’s recent recruitment, which he believes has left manager, Erik ten Hag, in a precarious position this season.
Though the Red Devils have picked up a couple of wins recently, the manner and standard of their performances has left a lot to be desired.
Collymore suggests a lack of foresight in terms of the players brought in is to blame.
‘Antony, Jadon Sancho, Casemiro… there hasn’t been one Manchester United player that you would say has been a consistent eight out of 10 over the past couple of seasons,’ he wrote in his exclusive CaughtOffside column.
‘In terms of a comparison with Liverpool or in particular Manchester City, United’s recruitment has been abysmal.
‘[…] Look at Manchester City; Haaland comes in and does the job, Grealish comes in but the Doku arrives and takes his place and all of a sudden it’s ‘now you’ve got to be a nine out of 10, Jack…’
‘I don’t see anybody at Manchester United that’s anywhere near that level, and their transfers haven’t been above a five out of 10.’
With Jim Ratcliffe expected to be in position in the new year and taking over football operations at Old Trafford, there’ll clearly be a lot of scrutiny on various aspects of that side of the business.
If ten Hag can’t get things right on the pitch before season’s end, Collymore believes that’ll be enough for Sir Jim to swing the axe.
‘That means Erik ten Hag is under major pressure, no doubt. I don’t think at the moment he’s got the kind of credibility he needs, having come from Ajax, to be able to survive a full season of mediocrity,’ he continued.
‘He got out of jail winning the Carabao Cup last season, but if Jim Ratcliffe comes in, and is ruthless as he has been in his business dealings, then you’re looking at who potentially could replace ten Hag.’
For a club of Man United’s standing, the 2023/24 campaign, particularly when set against the backdrop of the new signings made, has been a huge disappointment to this point.
The Jadon Sancho saga has clearly damaged the player’s reputation, but it’s done nothing for the manager’s credibility either.
‘Ten Hag’s demeanour and personality isn’t exactly endearing either and he comes across as a little bit of an automaton, a bit of a robot,’ Collymore noted.
‘For me, Jim Ratcliffe would probably look at it and go ‘I’ll give him to the end of the season and see what he does.’’
There’s still plenty of time for ten Hag to turn things around but the pressure is certainly on.
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