“He got me sacked and he’s now trying to replicate it with Amorim…I know Amorim replaced me but I don’t want him to fail so I have told him to remove that player”: Former Man United’s coach Erik ten Hag names ONE player Ruben Amorim must axed before he could succeed at Old Trafford
Manchester United will be hoping to get back to winning ways when they host Ipswich at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
Ruben Amorim’s side are without a win in their last three Premier League games and are currently languishing in 15th. They drew 2-2 with Everton in their last game, with second-half strikes from Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte cancelling out goals from Beto and Abdoulaye Doucoure.
They will be keen to pick up all three points when they take on Ipswich, who are in the relegation zone and five points from safety. Here, Mirror Football has taken a look at the biggest news and gossip coming out of Old Trafford ahead of their clash with the Tractor Boys.
Ten Hag’s future plans
Erik ten Hag has opened up about his sacking and revealed he hopes to be back in the dugout next season.
Ten Hag was sacked by United back in October after a poor start to the season, having only just been handed a contract extension and been backed heavily in the transfer window. The Dutchman has since been linked with a number of vacancies across Europe, but he has decided to wait until next summer.
In an interview via his agency, SEG, Ten Hag revealed: “I’ve already decided not to take any job until the 1st of July, so until the start of the new season.”
Hojlund defended
Rasmus Hojlund has now gone 16 games without a goal in all competitions this season, but former England goalkeeper Joe Hart believes his struggles are down to the way United are playing.
“He’s on his own, all the time,” Hart said on Match of the Day 2. “They’re asking a recently-turned 22 guy who’s out of form, it looks like they’re just lumping the ball up to him and saying ‘can you score us a goal’. As you say, confidence is low, he’s not offering a lot. Isak and Salah are great examples as the lead men in their teams.
“Do they want them lumping it over the top? No. But is it effective at certain points in the game? Of course it is. And it’s the timing that’s key. Great example there of Hojlund wanting to go, not knowing when to go, Fernandes getting his head down. And it just looks so confused. And that gives the opposition so much confidence.”
Man Utd stars “confused”
Premier League legend Alan Shearer believes United’s players have been left “confused” by Amorim’s tactics.
Reflecting on their draw with Everton, Shearer told The Rest Is Football: “Everton were brilliant at what they were doing in the pressing and all of those things, but Man United were just standing off Everton and letting them knock it around and play.
“And I looked at the players and I’m thinking, ‘I don’t know whether you think you should actually go and close down, or sit and try to be compact and tight’. They just looked confused. They really looked confused in what the manager was trying to get them to do for 72 minutes. Up until Bruno’s goal, they were terrible.”
