Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton insists Manchester United must act quickly to part ways with manager Erik Ten Hag, claiming the club won’t reach top quality status until the Dutchman is replaced.
The Red Devils' 3-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday marked their second consecutive home defeat by that scoreline and their eighth loss at Old Trafford in their last 20 matches.
Beyond the humiliating scoreline, it was the manner of the defeat that has intensified the pressure on Ten Hag's future. United were completely outplayed and, once again, showed little evidence of progress since Ten Hag took charge in 2022.
Although United’s hierarchy is standing by their manager for now, Sutton believes it's only a matter of time before they're forced to part ways with him.
“I think the owners are going to get egg on their face, so they might as well get on with it,” Sutton told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“They had faith in Ten Hag and in a short space of time it's unravelled. It’s not going to happen under Ten Hag, I think that’s pretty evident. It’s who is out there at this moment in time, who is better?
“Gareth Southgate’s name has popped up, Graham Potter, Thomas Tuchel. I think he’s had his time in fairness. You can’t spend 600 million and still play utter dross which is what Manchester United are doing
“This is just going to rumble on, Manchester United are not a top quality team and until they get a top quality coach in they are not going to improve.”
One of the main criticisms of Ten Hag is his failure to get United fully committed to his footballing philosophy.
In contrast, managers like Arne Slot, Enzo Maresca, and Ange Postecoglou - who have all taken charge of Premier League clubs since Ten Hag’s appointment - have already instilled their distinct playing styles.
For Slot and Maresca, in their debut Premier League seasons with Liverpool and Chelsea, it took just a few games to establish their teams' identities.
While Ten Hag is ultimately to blame for this, Sutton also called out Ineos, who took control of the sporting side of the club earlier this year, for sticking with him in at the end of the 2023/24 season, despite widespread reports they planned to replace the 54-year-old.
Instead, they handed him a new contract shortly after United's surprise FA Cup final victory over Manchester City, a result credited with extending Ten Hag's tenure.
“This is his [Ten Hag's] third season,” he added.
“Six hundred million odd pounds later. I actually don’t think it was the 3-0 score line, it was how the whole game panned out.
“At the start of this season you could put Tottenham and United into a similar category. But Ange Postecoglou has been there a season less and you can see what they are trying to do.
“Whether you agree with everything Postecoglou does, in terms of the way he sets his team up, but they so have an identity.
“I don’t think this is on Ten Hag though, I think this is on Ineos. They all must be talking to each other at the top of the club. In the summer, they were actively looking for someone else. It’s not that they rated Ten Hag, but he won the FA Cup.
“At this moment in time, if we look forward three months, can we honestly say that this Manchester United team are going to improve under Ten Hag, based on what he has spent and what he has achieved?”
