Erik ten Hag‘s lifelong friend, Leon ten Voorde, revealed that he had advised the under-pressure Manchester United manager to leave the club last summer. Ten Hag and Ten Voorde have been buddies since childhood when they played football together in the Netherlands.
Ten Voorde also attended United’s Europa League match against FC Twente last week but made a startling revelation after the game that he was concerned about Ten Hag’s future at Old Trafford. After all, the current season has not been smooth sailing for the Dutch manager, who has faced a string of poor results coupled with injuries and inconsistent performances.
“I advised him to leave [Manchester United] in the summer. He won the FA Cup, so you leave through the front door. He’s had a lot of injuries this past year. But then trainers think: ‘I can turn things around,” he was quoted as saying by the Mirror.
“How long does United think this can go on? That question is now hanging over United and Ten Hag again. In general, he is calm and relaxed. But I can’t imagine that this leaves you completely unaffected.”
Despite the disappointing result, Ten Hag remains committed to the club and believes that the team is making progress.
“No I am not thinking about this. We all made this decision to stay together in summer, as ownership group, leadership group. Also we made the decision, after a clear review, what we have to improve as an organisation + how to construct a squad,” he was quoted as saying after the game.
“All decisions made in togetherness, also knowing it would take some time. We are all there on one page, one boat, the ownership, the leadership group, the staff, players too,” he added.
When asked if he was sure whether his squad is still listening to him, the Dutchman replied saying, “Yes I am but it is clear and obvious when you concede a goal like this again, it shouldn’t happen and especially when we address it so loud and clear [after Twente].”
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