Erik ten Hag is perhaps fortunate that the matchgoing fans at Manchester United are as loyal as they are.
It was a point Gary Neville was keen to make on numerous occasions during the 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur which, while incurring a few disapproving boos from the Old Trafford faithful, never seemed like descending into the sort of all-out mutiny seen at other Premier League arenas.
If reports are to be believed, Erik ten Hag will be given a few more weeks at least to save this sinking ship from hitting the seabed.
Manchester United’s top brass met up on Tuesday to discuss a variety of issues. Ten Hag’s future was, of course, a topic of discussion.
But with radio silence emanating from the red side of Manchester, The Mirror reports that Ten Hag is busy preparing for the meeting with Brentford on October 19.
Manchester United linked with Simone Inzaghi amid Erik ten Hag doubts
Now, it is not exactly unheard of for under-fire managers to salvage a seemingly doomed situation.
Those firmly aligned with the ‘Ten Hag In’ clan are always quick to point out that Sir Alex Ferguson needed six years to really kick start Manchester United’s domination of the English football landscape.
And if that is a rather dated example, then how about Simone Inzaghi’s revival at Inter Milan?
Inzaghi looked toast when Inter suffered a run of five defeats in seven Serie A games at the end of the 2022/23 season. Twelve months on, Inzaghi was parading the Serie A title around the San Siro while guiding Inter to their first Champions League final since the treble-winning days of Jose Mourinho.
And, though the reports have been played down in England, those Inzaghi to Old Trafford links continue to be talked up in Italy.
According to FC Inter News, Man United contacted the former Lazio boss in September.
And while the conversation was rather brief – Inzaghi wants to defend his Scudetto crown and sign a new contract at Inter Milan – that the former Italy international is now being mentioned in the same breath as the Manchester United job is testament to the progress he has made since his job was hanging by a thread as recently as mid-2023.
“For him, [those Man United links are] a huge sign of respect,” Inter icon Antonio Paganin, who won two UEFA Cup titles with the Nerazzuri, tells Tuttomercatoweb.
“If we also think about a year-and-a-half ago when he was on the grill… Now, it seems like the world has turned upside down!
“Well done Inzaghi, who has put himself on the line and brought innovations to Inter.”
Paganin is not convinced, however, that Inzaghi could really thrive where Ten Hag has, if not failed then maybe underachieved, at Manchester United.
His free-flowing three-man backline may have been a roaring success in Italy – the sight of centre-halves setting up centre-halves in the opposition penalty area is Inzaghi-ball to a tee – but could such a system work in a league where, as Ten Hag has discovered, any defensive deficiencies tend to be exposed with brutal efficiency.
Inter Milan boss told he could struggle in the Premier League
“I have doubts about his adaptation to the English world,” adds Paganin.
“Bringing the three-man system to a world that always plays with four at the back, I don’t know if it could work.
“If he wins the Scudetto or the Champions League, should he say goodbye at the end of the year? The Premier League is the football university, it’s true. But if we think that you have to go to Manchester United, which is not among the elite of teams fighting for the title, I think it would be complicated.
“He would have nothing to lose. But, for me, he would clash with a culture that is different, tactically speaking.”
Inzaghi, however, appears to be off the table for the time being.
Should Ten Hag depart, the Red Devils are likely to hand Ruud van Nistelrooy the reigns on an interim basis, though talks with ex-Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel could be resumed by the Man United bosses.
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