Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has vowed to ‘keep fighting’ despite his side’s worst ever Premier League finish after a 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace.
A makeshift duo between Casemiro and Jonny Evans was torn apart by Palace, with Casemiro suffering one of the worst performances of his stellar career.
United have now lost thirteen games in the league this season, the most ever in the Premier League era, and their 81 goals conceded in all competitions – so far – are their worst since 1976-77.
They must either finish in the top seven or beat Manchester City to secure qualification for European football next season, something that looks increasingly unlikely given their dismal recent form. It would be only the second time since 1989/90 that United failed to qualify for the continental competition.
No wonder that Ten Hag’s hopes of staying in the lead next season look increasingly untenable.
Hop aboard Kayo and watch every match of every round of the NRL + AFL Seasons live and ad-free during play. New to Kayo? Start your free trial today >
United agent FOUR against Palace | 01:12
“It is clear and obvious that this is underperforming,” Ten Hag said. “We did not act the way we wanted to do and this is not nearly good enough.”
Asked if he is the right man to take the side forward, he replied: “Absolutely.
“If we have the right players available, we have a good team, but we are missing almost the entire backline and then we have problems.
“I will keep fighting and I have prepared the team as best as I can. It wasn’t good enough, not nearly good enough, so I have to take responsibility for that, but I will find the energy and prepare them for Sunday.”
MORE COVERAGE
‘Wheels off’: Angeball honeymoon is over as Britain turns sour on Aussie over ‘woeful decline’
Ange reacts after stars crash to 20-year low in PL in heated half-time break
PL Wrap: Pundit rips at City’s ‘spoiled brat’; Furious coach shoots players
But Ten Hag was thumped by Liverpool great Jamie Carragher after the match, with even two Manchester United legends saying the Dutchman should be sacked.
So far, Ten Hag has been spared because British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe took a small ownership stake and control of the football department mid-season, leading to a major overhaul of the entire organization with a view to longer-term adjustments.
The string of injuries in the side has played a role, as has the lack of top coaches currently unemployed.
But Michael Owen said the squad will be “destroyed” by City in the FA Cup final and declared Ten Hag could be sacked immediately, adding that he “simply cannot lead the team next season.”
“I’ve been saying it for a long time that Ten Hag is not the right man for this job. I’ve been saying it for ages,” Owen told Premier League Productions after the match.
“He simply cannot lead the team next season.
“I’m almost wondering now: they have a cup final and they have a few important games that could mean European football next year or not.
“At some point you have to make a decision, they will absolutely get hammered by Manchester City [in the FA Cup final], they will be destroyed, in fact Arsenal will smash them to bits at Old Trafford, Newcastle will probably beat them and I wouldn’t even want them to go to Brighton either. If they play like this, they might not get anything out of the rest of the season.
“I just wonder that there is so much at stake, even if it is only for four games. I wonder if maybe the board should try to do something here and now and be quite radical about it.
“He simply cannot lead this team next season. He’s not good enough. I’ve thought about it for a long time, but he’s just not good enough to manage Manchester United.”
His former United teammate Paul Scholes was also cheeky, calling it the “final nail in the coffin”.
“That was hard to watch,” said the ex-United midfielder. “That could have been 7-0.”
“But tonight actually felt like the final nail in the coffin,” he added.
“There was a lack of know-how in the team, a lack of commitment, which is the big disappointment.
“It felt like the end. If this is the end, I’m not sure what is at this point.
“I had the feeling that he might get another year and work for a club that has calmed down a bit with the new owners, but it just doesn’t feel that way now… I think the problems are there anyway , it’s pretty clear to see.” it feels like borrowed time.
“When you watch that performance tonight, sometimes you get those performances where you think: this is the end. It almost felt that way. I remember Ole Gunnar [Solskjaer] away from Watford. It felt very similar to me, it just fell at the end.
“But what do you do in the last four games? You have a big cup final. You can’t see where a win comes from. They can’t beat Burnley at home.”
The pair agreed that respected assistant coach Steve Maclaren would take charge of the final four matches.
Owen added: “That team has absolutely no idea, going through it. There isn’t one thing that I think works on that team. I don’t appreciate anything about it… They’re going to get thrown out of the ball field by any team that plays like that today.
“Manchester City are going to demoralize them at Wembley in front of millions of people. It’s just shameful the way they are playing. Something has to change. I know it will change in the summer but I think it has to change now.
“Next year there will be European football, this is a trophy.”
Moyes showed the door at West Ham | 00:36
Meanwhile, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher slammed Ten Hag, saying even the club’s under-23 team had performed better.
“This is one of the worst coached teams in the Premier League,” Carragher said on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football.
“That’s a fact. That’s not an opinion. That’s a fact. The numbers tell you that when you see them defensively at the bottom of the table (in terms of goals conceded), lower than Sheffield United.
“I struggled to see how United would win tonight but I thought Palace would win one or two clean sheets. No Manchester United team should be beaten 4-0 by Crystal Palace.
“If the Manchester United U23 team are at Manchester United, have gone through the academy, been coached and learned how to play, I still wouldn’t expect them to lose 4-0.
“I’ve never been a manager or a coach, but I’ve been a player and I’ve been coached by top coaches and some of the things I see are just wrong.”
United next take on Arsenal before clashes with Newcastle and Brighton to conclude their league season, before Ten Hag’s final chance arrives with the FA Cup final against City at the end of the month.
