Louis Saha defends INEOS following “disrespect” claims surrounding Manchester United

Louis Saha has hit back against claims that INEOS have been “disrespecting” Erik ten Hag during their Manchester United managerial process.

Erik ten Hag will remain Manchester United‘s manager for the upcoming season, following a decision by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford to retain the Dutchman at Old Trafford.

Amid six months of speculation about Ten Hag’s suitability to lead United into the new INEOS era, the club’s leadership deliberated for three weeks after an FA Cup final win over Manchester City and concluded that keeping him was the best choice.

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The club had considered other candidates, including Gareth Southgate and Thomas Tuchel, but as these alternatives proved unavailable, the decision to stick with Ten Hag became clear.

During this period, the INEOS-led group spoke to many managers who may have taken the helm over from Ten Hag, and following their decision, multiple journalists came out in support of the Dutchman, claiming that INEOS had been disrespecting him through the process.

However, former United striker Louis Saha has launched a defence of INEOS’ actions, explaining what they did was entirely normal and must be respected.

“This is a normal situation,” Saha told BetFred. “There’s new ownership at the club, and there’s a new board, so they had to assess everything and analyse different options. Erik ten Hag may have felt that he needed an answer very quickly so he could prepare for next season.

“However, this is a situation which is normal in my opinion. I don’t believe the discussion with other managers was completely behind his back, but it’s something that needed to be addressed, and I’m sure it was painful for Erik ten Hag.

“He won the FA Cup, which was great, but you can see that he hasn’t solved all the issues he needs to and he needed to be challenged about that.

“I believe the situation wasn’t straightforward, and if they played anywhere near like they did in his first season, then these conversations wouldn’t have happened. The people in charge of the club were trying to do what was best for the club, and that needs to be respected.”

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