Gary Neville has reflected on Manchester United’s current situation and says he believes Erik ten Hag should stay put.
Speaking to the Webby and O’Neill YouTube channel, Gary Neville says he wants Erik ten Hag to stay on, saying ‘Let’s let him come out the other side of it.’
Neville’s stance has consistently been that Manchester United’s problems are deep-rooted, and that it is the Glazers and their underlings who are the problem behind the scenes.
He’s not wrong. There is a lack of strategy behind the scenes which has allowed Erik ten Hag to waste money on transfers which have not worked out, repeating a pattern of previous managers.
Neville on Ralf Rangnick
One man whose comments have aged better as time has gone on is former interim manager Ralf Rangnick.
Rangnick was originally hired as interim boss just as a bridge to get him to work as ‘strategic consultant’ for two years.
However, Rangnick did not even begin that role. And Neville believes that Rangnick’s ‘no holding back’ press conferences were a key reason for this.
Neville said: “As soon as he started unleashing the truth about the club, they got him out there as quickly as possible.”
Manchester United may spin the wheel on another manager change, but this will just be a ‘cosmetic’ solution, not the ‘open heart surgery’ Ralf Rangnick famously recommended.
Takeover may be only hope
The only hope for a strategic change of some kind will be if a takeover is approved. Although the latest situation is that United fans may have to settle for Sir Jim Ratcliffe agreeing a 25 per cent stake in the club, with a hope to acquire more later down the line.
The devil of that deal will be in the detail, but Neville believes Ratcliffe would only get involved if he could have a meaningful say.
He explained: “Jim Ratcliffe is not going to come in unless he has some ability to effect change.”
Without change, let’s not sugarcoat it, Manchester United are doomed to a cycle of failure, which at this point feels neverending.
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