Manchester United must sack Erik ten Hag and put Steve McLaren in caretaker charge for the rest of the season, according to the club’s former players Paul Scholes and Michael Owen.
The pair were speaking after Manchester United’s dismal 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on Monday night.
Ten Hag’s future is under serious doubt after a poor season, with the Red Devils eighth in the table with three difficult games left to play, as well as an FA Cup final where they will be considerable underdogs against local rivals Manchester City.
Scholes said that the defeat felt like the ‘final nail in the coffin’ for Ten Hag and that the Dutchman is on ‘borrowed time’ at Old Trafford.
He told Premier League Productions: ‘Tonight almost felt like a final nail in the coffin. There was a lack of knowhow in the team, a lack of effort, going to a team like Crystal Palace who are a good team and doing well, but Manchester United shouldn’t be going there and doing 4-0.
Paul Scholes and Michael Owen believe Erik ten Hag (left) should be sacked and replaced until the end of the season by Steve McLaren (right)
It comes after United’s humiliating 4-0 loss to Crystal Palace which leaves them eighth in the table
McLaren is famously remembered for standing under his umbrella as his England side lost to Croatia at Wembley in 2007 and failed to qualify for the 2008 European Championships
Both Owen and Scholes said McLaren is the best coach they ever worked with as players and feel that he is not ‘touching’ the current United team despite being assistant to Ten Hag
‘I felt for a while he might get another year and work for a club that has calmed down a little by the new owners but it doesn’t feel like that now.
‘I thought who is out there to replace him? With Thomas Tuchel saying he’s leaving Bayern Munich, I don’t think that creates a bigger problem for him (Ten Hag) as the problems are there anyway, I think it’s quite plain to see that he’s on borrowed time.
‘Sometimes you get those moments where you think this is the end. I remember Ole Gunnar (Solskjaer) at Watford away, 4-1, it felt very similar to me, it felt like the end.’
As well as the cup final with Manchester City, United face Arsenal and Newcastle at home before finishing the Premier League season away at Brighton.
Scholes admitted that he couldn’t see where United will get a win from their final three league fixtures.
Owen then raised the question of what United should do, and agreed with Scholes’ response that former England manager and current assistant at Old Trafford, McLaren, should take on a caretaker manager role until the end of the season.
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 picture 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 him being sacked.
Owen and Scholes fear United could miss out on Europe and get humiliated by Manchester City if they don’t make a charge urgently
Scholes said the loss to Palace felt like the ‘final nail in the coffin’ for Ten Hag as United boss
However, Owen and Scholes believe that that McLaren is not to blame for United’s struggles this season, and feel that he has been frozen out by Ten Hag.
Owen said: ‘There is no way his fingerprints are anywhere near that team. He is a brilliant coach and that team is not being coached at all.’
Scholes added: ‘He’s not touching that team. The manager must not be letting him touch that team because everyone thinks we were a great team that attacked everybody (Manchester United) but Steve McLaren put sessions on to make sure we stopped other teams, getting the distances and angles right.’
Both players then went on to say that McLaren is the best coach that they worked under during their respective playing careers.
Owen added: ‘There is no way that he has anything to do with coaching that team, it’s impossible because that team is absolutely clueless right the way through it.
Manchester United have won just one out of their last seven Premier League games
Minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been left with a big decision to make on Ten Hag’s future
‘There is not one thing that I think ‘that works’ in that team. Steve McLaren is a top operator and I can only think that other people are coaching the team and he’s a bystander.
‘They will get smashed out of the ballpark by every team they still have to play, playing like that today. Manchester City are going to demoralise them at Wembley in front of millions of people it’s embarrassing.
‘Something has got to change. I think it’s got to change now there are too many big games. This could decide European football next season, this is a trophy.’
Scholes went on to hit out at Ten Hag more by suggesting the club doesn’t have many ‘bad players’ and the fault lies on the manager.
He said: ‘There’s not actually that many bad players at United is there? It looks like they’re not being coached, when it looks like being the manager’s fault. It looks like the fight has gone out of them.’
United are currently on a run of just one win in seven Premier League games, with that coming against relegated Sheffield United.
Their recent poor form means they could miss out on Europe, unless they jump back into the top seven or upset Manchester City in the FA Cup final.
