Manchester United legends Paul Scholes and Owen Hargreaves are standing by manager Erik Ten Hag, urging the club to resist the temptation of sacking him despite a challenging run of results.
After a 4-3 loss to FC Copenhagen, leaving United at the bottom of their UEFA Champions League group, Scholes expressed support for Ten Hag.
In an interview with TNT Sports, Scholes stated, “I don’t think we can afford to do it anymore. I think we’ve got to let this fella go with it. I think he’s been good up to this point. He’s got a little bit unlucky tonight… They’re going to play better teams than Copenhagen, but I thought there was a little bit of fight there tonight. Just lacking that bit of leadership.”
Former midfielder Owen Hargreaves echoed Scholes’ sentiments, recognizing signs of improvement in Ten Hag’s team during the match in Denmark. Hargreaves emphasized the need to stand by Ten Hag and build a foundation, emphasizing that continually sacking managers is not the solution.
While acknowledging United’s poor season numbers, Hargreaves urged patience and a long-term perspective, stating, “They’re not good numbers and [are] obviously bottom of the Champions League group after four games as well, but I’m with Scholesy, they’ve got to stick by him [Ten Hag] and build something. Keep sacking managers is not the solution here.”
The game against Copenhagen took a turn when Marcus Rashford received a red card just before halftime. Scholes contested the decision, describing it as “totally accidental,” while Hargreaves expressed frustration with the recent use of VAR, stating, “The whole VAR thing, the last couple of weeks, has got a little bit out of control… In a way, it’s taking a little bit away from the game. We want to see the game settled on the pitch, rather than on these screens. I don’t think that’s what we all love.”