“I don’t see anything anymore.” Gary Neville tells Erik ten Hag Man Utd issue he must address at once

 “I don’t see anything anymore.” Gary Neville tells Erik ten Hag Man Utd issue he must address at once

As a result, Erik ten Hag is ready to be the next man tasked with turning around Manchester United’s fortunes – and he’ll have his job cut out for him.

The Red Devils’ poor defeat to Everton on Saturday has left them eighth in the Premier League standings and facing the frightening potential of missing out on Champions League participation this season.

There’s a lot to do at Old Trafford, but the incoming Dutchman’s top priority will undoubtedly be putting together his playing group.

United’s current crop appears to be in desperate need of a shake-up, as their confidence appears to be shattered and there is an obvious imbalance.

Since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, the club has urgently sought to sign mega-money stop-gaps rather than developing a deliberate purchasing strategy. And they are still paying the price.

On paper, Manchester United has a superb squad, but the reality is far different.

Ten Hag has inherited a dressing room filled with developing teenagers, dissatisfied divas, and players who value individual glory over team success as a result of the club’s management merry-go-round in recent years.

To be honest, it’s a shambles. Ten Hag’s arrival will almost certainly signal the start of a summer of charge at the club and, hopefully, an opportunity to reset the clock.

If United are to reclaim their former grandeur, they must be patient, trust Ten Hag, and allow him to alter the club’s present roster.

There are too many egos in the club’s split locker room, as Gary Neville correctly points out; if Ten Hag is to turn United’s fortunes around, he must instill a sense of humility.

And he could do a lot worse than search for inspiration from rivals Manchester City and Liverpool.

In the latest edition of the Gary Neville Podcast, the former right-back stated: “When I look at Manchester City and Liverpool, they have humble football players; no over-inflated egos, they understand their position, the team comes first.

“There isn’t one Manchester United player that would get into any of those two teams, so why would you have an over-inflated ego, think you didn’t have to work hard, or be spiritless? I don’t see anything anymore.”

His opinion is right on the money. The Red Devils were very much united under Ferguson, a word that has rarely been used to characterize the club’s players in the years following his left.

Several members of the squad were cast out and made to feel unwelcome under Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho, while David Moyes, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and even Ralf Rangnick appeared to lack respect and a sense of authority.

Things must change when Ten Hag takes the helm. They absolutely must be.

The Dutchman’s arrival will provide the club a fresh start, but only if he is allowed to have his way and rid the squad of individuals who aren’t pulling their weight.

As the expression goes, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

And it’s not as if Ten Hag can’t manage a reconstruction. Simply ask Ajax.

In his four-and-a-half years in Amsterdam, the 52-year-old has twice built powerful teams capable of playing slick, offensive football and competing with the best in Europe.

He’s been given the authority to manage and shape squads of his own design, as well as instill a winning attitude. 

When Ten Hag eventually arrives at United, he must get to work on restoring harmony and balance among the ranks. After all, this is Manchester United.

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 “I don’t see anything anymore.” Gary Neville tells Erik ten Hag Man Utd issue he must address at once