Gary Neville expressed sympathy for Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, stating that the club has become a challenging environment for both coaches and players. This sentiment came after Manchester United’s recent struggles, including a 3-2 defeat to Galatasaray in the Champions League and a loss to Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
Neville acknowledged the difficulties facing Ten Hag, highlighting that the club has been plagued by persistent issues over the past decade. He emphasized that these problems need to be addressed for the team to perform at its best.
Neville explained, “I feel very sorry for the manager, I know a lot of people will say he’s got to do a lot better, but there are a lot of big problems at the club that managers have found over the last ten years.” He referred to Manchester United as a “graveyard” for coaches and players due to these ongoing challenges.
Furthermore, Neville pointed out that many players who joined Manchester United with high expectations failed to excel at the club. He questioned why these players couldn’t meet their potential and suggested that there might be cultural issues within the organization that need to be addressed.
In terms of performance statistics, Ten Hag’s Premier League loss ratio is now equivalent to that of Ralf Rangnick, who served as interim manager before Ten Hag’s arrival in the summer of 2022. Both managers have a 29 percent loss ratio in the league. Rangnick lost seven of his 24 matches in charge, while Ten Hag has suffered 13 losses in his first 45 games.
Despite initially inspiring hope with a third-place finish in the Premier League last season, Ten Hag’s team has struggled and currently sits in mid-table, well behind the top four. Manchester United will aim to bounce back in their upcoming match against Brentford, a team that handed them a 4-0 defeat during Ten Hag’s early tenure at Old Trafford last season.