“They were right…” Gary Neville disagrees with Erik ten Hag’s comments on Man United owners

Gary Neville has somewhat disagreed with the comments Erik ten Hag made surrounding the actions of new Manchester United co-owners INEOS.

Last week, news broke that Manchester United had elected to keep Erik ten Hag as manager at Old Trafford, shocking many who expected the Dutchman to be sacked following disastrous Premier League and Champions League campaigns.

Despite winning the FA Cup, most fans will agree that the club failed to live up to the expectations set at the start of 2023/24, which is why some questioned the decision to keep the manager once it was reached.

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INEOS, who made the decision, were thorough in their process and spoke to multiple other candidates for the manager position, such as Thomas Tuchel throughout their deliberations before arriving at their final verdict.

Speaking on Sunday evening ahead of England’s 1-0 win over Serbia during the 2024 European Championships, Ten Hag revealed the inside story behind how he was informed of the decision.

Speaking on the Dutch TV channel NOS, Ten Hag said: “The club management came to me while I was on holiday in Ibiza. They suddenly showed up on my doorstep and told me they wanted to continue with me.

“As in any organization, it is wise to evaluate. Manchester United did that, too. The new owner (Jim Ratcliffe) is new to football, he has taken his time.”

However, Ten Hag then went on to insinuate that he was not best pleased with the fact that INEOS spoke to other managers by mentioning that this kind of practice is not allowed in other countries, such as his native Netherlands.

“They have indeed told me that they have spoken to other managers. That is not even allowed in the Netherlands.”

Gary Neville, former United captain who is always vocal about his thoughts on the club, has disagreed with Ten Hag’s notion, explaining that INEOS were within their rights to talk to other managers.

“It’s not perfect waiting two-and-a-half weeks after the end of the season to make a decision on the manager,” he told Sky Sports. “And quite obviously flirting with other managers in the meantime.

“But I do believe that because Erik ten Hag had such a disappointing season in the league the club were well within their rights to see what was out there in the market.

“As we all know, the manager market has been quite difficult for a number of top clubs in Europe. I’m happy because they’ve continued and maintained that stability into next season. 

“I think they’ve come to the right conclusion in the end, but I also think they were within their rights to review at the end of the season and look at other options. 

“From Ten Hag’s point of view, he knows that they’ve had a look at other managers, which isn’t ideal. But he’s got to accept that when you finish in the league position Man United did, there’s a chance you might lose your job.”

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