The man Paul Scholes had initially claimed he’d have liked to take over from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United is without a job as pressure mounts on Erik ten Hag
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Football Digest: Man Utd urged to give Ten Hag time he needs
Erik ten Hag’s position as Manchester United boss has come under scrutiny in recent days and the man Paul Scholes originally wanted to succeed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is available.
The Dutchman took the reins at Old Trafford in May 2022 and after a positive first season, which included a Carabao Cup, Champions League qualification and an FA Cup final appearance, Ten Hag’s stock was high. However, this season has started in disastrous fashion, with the Red Devils losing five of their opening 10 league games.
That run has includes defeats against all three of the ‘big six’ sides they have come up against so far, with losses on the road against Tottenham and Arsenal followed by a particularly embarrassing 3-0 defeat at home against local rivals Manchester City. In turn, speculation has started over just how long Ten Hag will have left in the Old Trafford hot-seat if he fails to inspire a turnaround.
Amid the flurry of rumours, comments from club legend Scholes in 2022 have resurfaced in which the former United midfielder makes clear who he felt should have succeeded Solskjaer. The ideal candidate in the eyes of both Scholes and his fellow BT Sport pundit Glenn Hoddle was former Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl.
The move made sense on paper, given at the time, Ralf Rangick was in charge of the team but expected to transition to a boardroom role once that 21/22 season had ended. Hasenhuttl had worked as a manager at RB Leipzig at a time when Rangnick enjoyed the role of sporting director at the German outfit.
Prior to a meeting between Southampton and United that season, Hoddle first explained why he felt Hasenhuttl would be a suitable appointment. “Would that not be a good fit? For me, if they’ve [Rangnick and Hasenhuttl] worked so closely together if he’s going to be the sporting director eventually - that works,” he claimed.
“Southampton will want to keep him, of course, they would, because he’s doing such a very good job with the players that he’s got there. He’s doing an excellent job. If he wanted it, it would make sense.”
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Paul Scholes had supported the idea of Ralph Hasenhuttl taking over as Manchester United boss (
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Scholes quickly echoed Hoddle’s sentiment, explaing: “Watching that interview, there is a closeness between them. As a sporting director, he was the right choice at the right time for Leipzig - he did brilliantly - and I’ve always liked him. I’ve always thought the football he plays at Southampton with not the best squad.
“The type of football has worked for them. His teams have been good to watch; I think it comes across really well. This would be a different kind of pressure; I think people around this club, and fans especially, are thinking more of possibly Pochettino or an Antonio Conte and what people have been at the bigger clubs.
“The more I think about it, I don’t think it would be a bad thing. The way he goes about his business, he looks good.”
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Of course, those at the top of United’s hierarchy ended up going in a different direction and landed Ten Hag instead. Hasenhuttl, meanwhile, has been without a job since being sacked by Southampton after a poor run of results in November of 2022. If they were to change their mind, the Austrian is still without a job, though his recent comments suggest he isn’t in a hurry to return to management.
“It’s true that after the Premier League, there aren’t that many leagues that are interesting for you, but that doesn’t mean you don’t want to learn a new language,” he explained, relayed by Laola1. “When the desire is back, I’m sure that there will be another task that you can imagine. I don’t see that at the moment.”
It is unlikely that there will be much movement on Ten Hag in the next few weeks as United aim to show solidarity with their under-fire manager, but if the patience of those running the show at Old Trafford continues to be tested, who knows what could happen before the season’s end.
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