Manchester United should have already sacked Erik ten Hag as their manager amid a continued disappointing start to the season.
That’s the view of Hull City owner Acun Ilicali, who believes the Dutchman is ‘not a good fit’ for the club and their relationship is ‘cold’.
Ten Hag’s third season as Man United boss has come after he was given a one-year contract extension in July, after guiding the club to FA Cup glory – but the new campaign has so far proved underwhelming.
A 1-1 draw against Fenerbahce in the Europa League on Thursday has left the Red Devils with just one win from seven matches in all competitions.
Uncertainty over Ten Hag’s future in the United hotseat first became apparent last season and more poor results have only added to the pressure – although the coach insists he does not feel it.
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The Dutchman recently hit out at media for writing ‘fairytales’ and ‘lies’ about his job, but one club owner is surprised he still has one.
Turkish businessman Ilicali completed his takeover of Championship side Hull in 2022 for a reported £20million through his company ACUNMEDYA.
He has overseen three managerial dismissals in that time, and told talkSPORT that he would have parted with Ten Hag by now if he held the keys at Old Trafford.
Ilicali also offered his opinion that Ten Hag – and some of his Dutch counterparts – is a ‘cold’ manager who lacks the ‘human touch’ coaches like Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp show towards their players.
“He’s a good coach, but sometimes the chemistry doesn’t happen in football,” Ilicali, who is also Fenerbahce’s vice-chairman, said on the White and Jordan show live from Istanbul.
“Bayern Munich had the same thing too. For me, I always look at one or two steps forward in my mind, imagine, then I decide about today and I always decide early. I don’t want to lose time.
“So, I think, unfortunately, this match is not a good match, the coach and the club. From my point of view, there should have been a separation before.
“I wasn’t expecting too much from Manchester United because although Manchester United is a big team, and a fantastic brand, but unfortunately with the way they play they have been disappointing last last year. They didn’t make a big impact [against Fenerbahce].
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“Actually, I don’t feel like the Dutch mentality is very suitable for Britain. If you ask me my opinion, the reason German coaches are more successful is they are more down to earth, they are more flexible, so they started getting success all around the world.
“I’m not talking individual, I’m talking in general, but Dutch coaches are a little more cold, they are all more distant with the team. And that’s what I see in Manchester, generally – everything is too mechanical, I mean, there is not a human feeling, I feel.
“A coach like [Jurgen] Klopp, for example, [Pep] Guardiola, you feel this human touch with them. They hug, they do. I don’t see it, unfortunately [with Ten Hag at Man United].
“I feel this coldness, a mechanical feeling – everybody comes, does their job, then they go to their houses, and this becomes a regular life of them. But [Jose] Mourinho is a fighter, Klopp is a fighter, Guardiola is a fighter. They have this emotional passion.”
He isn’t the only one surprised to still see Ten Hag in the Old Trafford dugout – a number of United fans also had their say after seeing their dismal European record continue.
United have only one win in European competition to their name in 18 months, having crashed out of the Champions League group stage last season.
Some have even accused Ten Hag of ‘gaslighting’ the United fanbase with his insistence that things are going well, despite sitting 12th in the Premier League and 21st in the new Europa League format.
After the Fenerbahce draw, Ten Hag claimed United are tough to beat despite failing to win a game in Europe so far this term.
“I think when you take two points [against] Porto and Fenerbahce away, it shows that we are a team that’s hard to beat,” he told TNT Sports.
“We showed it again today, so we can take confidence again from this game and take this up into the league to West Ham.”
However, United fans on social media have shown their frustration, as one posted on X: “Doesn’t do himself any favours.”
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“He’s on the wind up surely? Why does every single decent coach lose their head at this club?” asked a second.
Another said: “You cannot gaslight me into thinking this is acceptable. The play style is non-existent. The football is dire. There is no sustainable growth. Sporadic moments are not enough, I cannot see enough consistency in what is trying to be achieved. We have a sample size. It is bad.”
“If this is the mentality of the manager… I don’t want to even imagine what the players mentality are like,” added a fourth.
One fan even texted into White and Jordan to say: “No tactics, no charisma, no long-term plan, the 7-0 defeat against Liverpool was enough for me and it hasn’t got much better. Get him out now!”
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United have played 13 matches in all competitions so far this season but have claimed just four wins during that run.
Three of those have come in the Premier League as they sit 12th in the table and six points outside of the top four.
Brighton, Liverpool and Tottenham have all beaten them, with the latter two sides doing so at Old Trafford.
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United’s only other victory in the campaign was against League One side Barnsley in the Carabao Cup third round when they won 7-0.
Thursday’s draw at Fenerbahce saw them take the lead but fail to see out the win for a third consecutive Europa League match.
Their three points puts them 21st in the standings, a final finish that would see them needing to win in the play-off round to advance to the last-16.
United next face West Ham away from home in the Premier League on Sunday in search of three crucial points to ensure they don’t fall any further away from the leading pack.
