ERIK TEN HAG TOLD EXACTLY WHAT TO SAY TO MAN UTD AS SIR JIM RATCLIFFE GETS TORN APART

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has been ordered to demand clarity over his future at Old Trafford.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is yet to announce a decision over the direction his club will head in after Ten Hag led United to FA Cup glory - while finishing eighth in the Premier League. And Gordon Strachan has said it's "staggering" the incumbent is still in a state of limbo.

The former Scotland and Celtic manager - who lifted the FA Cup with United in 1985 - believes his old club have had ample time to make a call over the manager situation. The likes of Mauricio Pochettino and England boss Gareth Southgate have been linked with the role in recent months, but Ten Hag remains in the job days from the summer transfer window opening.

"I do find it staggering that his future hasn’t been resolved yet," Strachan told Prime Casino. "The FA Cup final was two weeks ago. Are Man United waiting for Dan Ashworth to come in and start making decisions? Surely that’s not the case and surely he’s having conversations with the club without being officially appointed to the role of Director of Football anyway.

"If the people running the club genuinely don’t think that Erik ten Hag is good enough, then they need to tell him now because what’s happening at the moment is unfair. I also think there’s a point here where Erik ten Hag has to say, 'If you don’t want me here if you don’t think I’m good enough, then fire me.'”

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Ten Hag, 54, seemed destined for the Old Trafford exit before beating rivals Manchester City and securing United's first FA Cup in eight years. Reports leading up to the final suggested the Dutchman would be sacked regardless of that result, though it appears his triumph against the odds has at least granted a stay of execution.

Strachan, 67, went on to say the "silence is deafening" regarding Ten Hag's future at the club and the lack of support he's received. He added that the longer it drags on without an official decision being made, it becomes clearer the boss "doesn’t have the full backing of the club."

"I'd find it very hard; very strange if Erik ten Hag is still managing the club next season," Strachan continued. "To make this guy go through this mental torture and then ask him to go and manage again. . .He knows that over the last two or three weeks, the people that run Manchester United are not sure if they want him to be the manager. There's no doubt about that. I don’t think it’s a secret that they’ve been talking to potential replacements."

One candidate seemingly no longer in the running for the Red Devils position is Thomas Tuchel, who is understood to have recently met with Ratcliffe. Shortly after leaving Bayern Munich, the German is said to be keen on a break from football and would reportedly turn down the position if offered the job. That simplifies United's search for a new boss should they desire one, though even that much remains unclear.

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2024-06-11T08:09:02Z dg43tfdfdgfd