It’s quite a difficult time being the boss of Manchester United at the moment for Erik ten Hag.
The Dutch coach is probably going through his worst period so far at Old Trafford following two really bad losses against Manchester City and Newcastle.
Not only this – but the season has also been horrendous. Manchester United are playing terrible football, and it’s reflected in the results.
One man who will know what Erik ten Hag is going through is United legend, Wayne Rooney.
Wayne Rooney on Erik ten Hag
In his Birmingham City press conference, one journalist asks the new Blues boss and Manchester United all-time record goalscorer if he shows any sympathy for Ten Hag during this difficult period at United.
“That’s the job,” Rooney replied. “That’s part of the job. We all know that when we take jobs, whatever job that is.
“Coming here (Birmingham City), there’s a lot of pressure, and I’m sure Ten Hag knows that at Manchester United.
“I think it’s not going as well as they would like but I think the players need to take responsibility as well. I know some of the players in there and they’re not performing to the levels I know they can.
“But ultimately, it starts and ends with the manager. that’s part of being a manager. He will get the critics of course after the last few weeks but I think the players can do a lot more for him as well.”
Rooney going through similar at Birmingham
Rooney knows what it’s like to be under the spotlight, and it’s not surprising to hear the response he’s elicited to the reporter’s question.
Last week Rooney was booed off the pitch by supporters and said something very similar in his post-match conference.
“That’s part of football,” Rooney said post-match acknowledging the angry reaction from Birmingham supporters.
“You need to win football games to change that. As I said yesterday, the former manager was very popular here and did a good job.
“It’s what you want, what you want in terms of, do you want to be where the club has been for 10 years or do you want to move forward?
“And sometimes there’s a bedding in period while we are asking the players to do different things. I can deal with that. That’s part of the game. That’s part of my job. It’s not an issue for me.”
Ten Hag needs to roll with the punches, and hopefully come out the other end unscathed.
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