Manchester United icon Roy Keane doesn't believe that Erik ten Hag can remain in his position for much longer. The 53-year-old Dutchman secured a place in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Monday night with his team, defeating Wigan Athletic 0-2. However, despite this achievement, the Irish former midfielder doesn't expect it to secure the manager's position.
Roy Keane, serving as an ITV analyst during the cup match, didn't hold back his candid opinions. The former Manchester United captain minced no words when discussing the situation at the club.
He remarked, "The manager talks about a project... that probably means he'll be gone in a few months." This statement reflects the precarious position of Manchester United under Erik ten Hag's leadership. While Ten Hag had an impressive first season, guiding Manchester United to a third-place finish in the Premier League and securing their return to the Champions League, the current season tells a different story. The team currently languishes in sixth place in the league, a stark contrast to their previous season's achievements.
Adding to their woes, Manchester United's European campaign has already come to an abrupt end, and they've been eliminated from the League Cup, which they clinched just last year. Although they did manage to advance in the FA Cup, their performance against Wigan Athletic, a team currently positioned eighteenth in League One, the third tier of English football, failed to inspire confidence. Keane, in particular, was unimpressed with the attacking choices made by Ten Hag during the match.
During halftime, the spotlight fell squarely on Rasmus Højlund, with Keane bluntly telling his fellow analysts, Ian Wright and Roberto Martínez, "You guys are too nice to him." He went on to express his dissatisfaction, stating, "I would have been furious with him." Keane emphasized that when a striker consistently squanders goal-scoring opportunities, attributing it to bad luck becomes less and less acceptable. He urged the young Danish player, Højlund, to be more clinical and efficient in front of the goal, insisting that such chances needed to be converted.
Højlund, a twenty-year-old Danish talent, arrived at Manchester United for a substantial fee exceeding 70 million euros from Atalanta Bergamo last summer. However, he has struggled to justify his hefty price tag. In fifteen league appearances, he has managed to score only once for United. While he enjoyed more success in the Champions League, netting five times in six matches, his efforts couldn't prevent Manchester United from finishing at the bottom of their group, leading to an early exit from European competition.
Furthermore, Keane didn't spare Marcus Rashford from his critique. Despite being a standout performer under Ten Hag's management last season, Rashford has faltered this year, leading Keane to comment that he has become 'a shadow of himself.' Keane called for more from Rashford, identifying two problematic habits: holding onto the ball at inopportune moments and failing to make enough incisive runs behind the opposition's defense. In Keane's view, these tendencies make Rashford more predictable and easier to defend against, and he encouraged the Englishman to inject more explosiveness into his game.
Last season, Rashford was in his element under Ten Hag, amassing 30 goals in all competitions. However, the current campaign has seen a significant drop in his goal-scoring output, with only three goals to his name thus far. Keane's pointed remarks highlight the pressing challenges facing both Ten Hag and his players as they strive to regain their footing and return to the heights of success that Manchester United fans are accustomed to.
