PIERS MORGAN has branded Erik ten Hag the “REAL PROBLEM” at Manchester United in an explosive rant.
United have underperformed for the majority of the season and are on course to miss out on Champions League football.
Ten Hag’s public fallout with Jadon Sancho and his banishing of the England winger has been one of the major talking points of a tumultuous season for the Red Devils.
Sancho has started to show glimpses of the form that prompted United to £73million services in his loan spell at Dortmund.
And after seeing England international shine in the first leg of Dortmund’s Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night, Morgan is convinced Ten Hag is the root of United’s woes.
The Sun columnist wrote on X: “The fact that [Cristiano] Ronaldo and now Sancho are playing brilliantly away from United.
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“And [Macus] Rashford is struggling while still with them suggests the real problem at the club isn’t ‘difficult’ world-class players.
“But a manager who doesn’t know how to handle them.”
United fans were quick to react to Morgan’s assessment of the team’s problems, with one saying: “”ETH is the problem here!”
Another said: “He has shown he can’t manage big names or big players.”
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Pundits verdict on Ten Hag’s future
Where do the pundits stand on Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United future
Jamie Carragher – Sacked
“I don’t see how Erik ten Hag stays. It’s just performance after performance.”
Gary Neville – Stay if he wins the FA Cup
“To sack a manager who’s won two trophies in his first two seasons at the club I think would be extreme.”
Louis Saha – On the fence
“I don’t see it as clearly but they need changes from the players but they need changes from him as well.”
Alan Shearer – Sacked
“I believe the future of the Man Utd manager is already determined. Even if they win the FA Cup I think he’s gone.”
And another said: “It’s always been the manager. Players have gotten worse under ETH.”
One remarked: “Hmmmmm… so, that last season Solskjaer was manager was Ten Hag’s fault too?”
Another chimed in: “Appreciate ETH needs to move on but the problem is bigger than any one manager.”
Sancho was exiled from United last September after hitting back at Ten Hag’s public criticism of his efforts in training.
He returned to Dortmund on loan in January and has shown flashes of his old self, scoring three goals and two goals in 18 appearances.
His midweek display against PSG impressed former United defender Rio Ferdinand, who said: “I want to know what happened at Man United. Why didn’t it go well there?
“Is it game time or did he not apply himself properly at Manchester United?
“Was he disheartened because he wasn’t getting game time?
“Was it the size of the club, the weight of the shirt? Is it the club?
“Is it the manager’s fault for not getting the best out of him.”
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Sancho’s fellow England star Rashford has looked a shell of the player he was last season, scoring eight goals in 40 appearances in all competitions this campaign.
And Ronaldo left United in November 2022 following an EXPLOSIVE sitdown interview with Morgan, in which he blasted Ten Hag’s management style.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
