Alan Shearer takes swipe at Erik ten Hag over shock new role after Man Utd manager’s ‘pop at pundits’
ALAN SHEARER has taken a swipe at Erik ten Hag following the Manchester United manager’s outspoken punditry role.
After Ten Hag led United to victory in the FA Cup final, he hit out at analysts and accused the Red Devils of being “easy prey” for critics.
The Dutchman has since kept his Old Trafford job and spoke out for the first time while working for Dutch TV station NOS.
Ten Hag admitted United boss informed him they had spoken to the likes of Thomas Tuchel to potentially replace him.
But while on holiday in Ibiza, the Old Trafford hierarchy told Ten Hag he would remain in charge to bring an end to the fiasco.
And Shearer told Betfair: “Away from the Euros it’s been confirmed that Erik Ten Hag will stay on as the manager of Manchester United.
“Considering he had a bit of a pop at pundits after the FA Cup final, it was really interesting to see him being a pundit himself on television recently. But what a mess it’s been.
“How kind of Man United to go to Ibiza and inform him that he’s still wanted as the manager, and then tell him that they’ve even spoken to other candidates.
“It’s just a bizarre situation, it’s not how things should be done in football.
“If you are going to speak to other managers then speak to them, but keep it in house, you can’t let the public know.”
Erik ten Hag is no safer now than before FA Cup win
By Neil Custis
After Manchester United announced Erik ten Hag was staying on, they tried to explain why it has taken over two weeks since the Dutchman paraded the FA Cup at Wembley to actually tell him he still had the job.
A thorough review of the season was needed even though Ten Hag said before the Cup final that this had been done.
The club said that they had ‘considered all eventualities’.
In other words ‘which manager would be best for us, and not necessarily the bloke we have got?’.
And the club were also at pains to make it clear how much they admired Ten Hag’s ‘dedication, dignity and professionalism’.
In other words he did not publicly flip his lid at the appalling way he was being treated despite asking Ratcliffe for a public vote of confidence months before the end of the season.
Let us remember Ratcliffe did not even namecheck Ten Hag in his ‘congratulations message’ after the FA Cup was won, despite the fact it was all down to him and the way he outthought Pep Guardiola on the day.
Read the full column from Neil Custis on Manchester United.
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Ten Hag was critical of England’s “passive” display in their 1-0 win over Serbia and took aim at manager Gareth Southgate’s “vision”.
The former Ajax boss also revealed talks are ongoing to extend his contract but a deal is nowhere near sorted.
Shearer added: “To be undermined like he has done, I know they’re now saying that he has their support and they want him to carry on, but from a personal and human point of view it’s not the right way to treat someone.
“It takes a lot of his power away from him, will the players look at him and think he’s a really strong manager and he’s in a strong position?
“Probably not because of the way they have treated him. It was meant to be all new at Old Trafford with the very best coming in, I don’t think they’ve got off to a good start.”