Erik ten Hag: Joe Cole says he will 'be surprised' if Manchester United manager still has a job at Christmas
Updated 03/10/2024 at 18:06 GMT+1
Manchester United have had a poor start to the new season with just two wins from six Premier League games, which has put pressure on manager Erik ten Hag with questions about his future being asked once again. Ten Hag says he is not worried, but former England players Joe Cole and Peter Crouch told TNT Sports they think the Dutchman is in trouble.
'I'll be surprised if he's in a job at Christmas' - Cole thinks Ten Hag's days are numbered
Video credit: TNT Sports
Former Chelsea and England midfielder Joe Cole thinks Erik ten Hag’s days as Manchester United manager are numbered.
After suffering their worst ever Premier League campaign last season with an eighth-placed finish, United have continued to struggle.
Ten Hag’s future was rumoured to be in doubt before he led the club to an FA Cup triumph last season, which resulted in the board putting their trust in him to remain in charge at Old Trafford.
However, United have won just two of their first six Premier League matches in the 2024/25 campaign and sit 13th in the table.
A humbling 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham has put an intense spotlight on Ten Hag’s position once again – although the Dutchman said he is not concerned.
The loss against Spurs followed an uninspiring start to their Europa League campaign, which saw United held to a 1-1 draw at home to Twente.
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‘I don’t have that concern’ – Ten Hag confident job is safe despite harrowing Spurs loss
Video credit: SNTV
Speaking to TNT Sports, Cole said: “It’s the really tough part of our job when you get asked about someone, because at the end of the day, it’s Erik ten Hag’s livelihood.
“For the last 18 months he’s been on the ropes so many times and he’s pulled a result out.
“But ultimately, I think the rhythm of it is Manchester United are not quite getting there with Erik, where they need to be.
“I’ll be surprised if he’s still in a job at Christmas, and it’s never a good part of our job when we have to say things like that, but that’s how it looks."
Former England striker Peter Crouch agreed with Cole and said “the heat will be bigger” on Ten Hag if they continue failing to produce results.
“There’s been some real disappointments, there’s a lot of talk. Quite often when there has been talk about the manager, he’s bounced back," he said.
“There’s a lot of murmurings and he’s consistently answering questions about his job."
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