Manchester United will not sack Erik ten Hag before this month’s FA Cup final despite Monday night’s humiliating defeat at Crystal Palace, increasing pressure on the manager.
The 4-0 defeat leaves United without qualification for Europe next season and led to former players – including Michael Owen and Paul Scholes – calling for him to be dropped immediately.
But Mail Sport understands there are no plans to sack Ten Hag before United take on Manchester City in the FA Cup final at Wembley on May 25.
The belief is that nothing will be gained by removing Ten Hag, with four games (three Premier League and the FA Cup final) still to be played before the end of the campaign.
While this could give Ten Hag confidence that he can remain in charge for a third season if United beat City at Wembley, the final decision will be made after that match.
No decision will be made on Erik ten Hag’s future at Manchester United before the FA Cup final
United were outclassed at Selhurst Park, destroying their chances of threatening Europe
A number of players would think that Ten Hag’s fate has already been sealed after a bad season.
It means that Ten Hag will be in the dugout for Sunday’s visit of title hunter Arsenal, the home game against in-form Newcastle United next week and the final day trip to Brighton.
United are in a battle with Newcastle and Chelsea to qualify for the Europa League or the Europa Conference League.
They can also reach the Europa League if they beat City in the FA Cup final, but will go into the match as solid underdogs.
Ex-United midfielder Scholes said Monday’s crushing defeat at Selhurst Park felt like the ‘final nail in the coffin’ for Ten Hag and the Dutchman is on ‘borrowed time’ at Old Trafford.
He told Premier League Productions: ‘Tonight almost felt like the final nail in the coffin. There was a lack of know-how in the team, a lack of effort, to go to a team like Crystal Palace, which to be honest is a good team and is doing well, but Manchester United should not go there and with Losing 4-0. .
‘I had the feeling for a while that he (Ten Hag) might get another year and work for a club that has calmed down a bit due to the new owners, but it doesn’t feel that way now.
United have won just one of their last seven Premier League games during a poor run
Paul Scholes and Michael Owen believe Erik ten Hag (left) should be fired and replaced by Steve McLaren (right) until the end of the season
‘I thought: who is there to replace him? Now that Thomas Tuchel says he is leaving Bayern Munich, I don’t think this will cause a bigger problem for him (Ten Hag), as the problems are already there. I think it’s pretty clear to see that he’s on borrowed time.
‘Sometimes you have those moments when you think this is the end. I remember Ole Gunnar (Solskjaer) at Watford, 4-1, it felt very similar to me, it felt like the end.’
Scholes admitted he couldn’t see where United would get the win from their last three league matches, while Owen said they will be ‘destroyed’ by Manchester City, Arsenal will ‘smash them to bits’ and he has no desire to do it . against Newcastle or Brighton.
Owen, a former United striker, called for immediate change and agreed with Scholes’ response that former England manager and current assistant at Old Trafford, McLaren, should take on the role of caretaker manager until the end of the season to take.
Scholes previously worked with McLaren at Manchester United when he was assistant to Sir Alex Ferguson, while Owen played under him for the Three Lions.
McLaren is perhaps best remembered for his time as England manager, and the photo of him standing under an umbrella as he watched his side lose to Croatia at Wembley, which meant the Three Lions failed to qualify for Euro 2008 and led to that he was fired. .
However, Owen and Scholes believe McLaren is not to blame for United’s problems this season and feel he has been left out by Ten Hag.
Both Owen (left) and Scholes said McLaren is the best coach they have ever worked with as players and feel he doesn’t ‘touch’ the current United team despite being an assistant to Ten Hag
McLaren is famously remembered for being under his umbrella when his England side lost to Croatia at Wembley in 2007 and failed to qualify for the 2008 European Championship.
Owen said: ‘There’s no way his fingerprints are anywhere near that team. He is a brilliant coach and that team is not coached at all.’
Scholes added: “He’s not touching that team. The manager shouldn’t let him touch that team because everyone thinks we were a great team that attacked everyone (Manchester United), but Steve McLaren set up sessions to make sure we stopped other teams and got the distances and angles right. ‘
Both players went on to say that McLaren is the best coach they have worked under during their respective playing careers.
Owen added: “There’s no way he has anything to do with coaching that team, that’s impossible because that team has absolutely no idea about it.
“There’s not one thing that I think works in that team. Steve McLaren is a top operator and I can only think that other people are coaching the team and he is a bystander.
Ten Hag on the sidelines during a painful performance by his United team
‘They will be pushed out of the margins by every team they have yet to play against if they play like that today. Manchester City are going to demoralize them at Wembley in front of millions of people, that’s shameful.
‘Something has to change. I think it needs to change now that there are too many big games. This could decide European football next season, this is a trophy.”
Scholes went on to hit on Ten Hag by suggesting the club doesn’t have many ‘bad players’ and that the fault lies with the manager.
He said: ‘There aren’t that many bad players at United, are there? It seems like they are not being coached, while it seems like it is the manager’s fault. It seems the fight has gone out of them.”
