Sweden and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic has pointed out the differences between Ajax and Manchester United, suggesting Erik ten Hag might not be up for the Old Trafford job.
Ten Hag took charge of Manchester United in the summer of 2022, replacing Ralf Rangnick. The Dutch tactician came to Old Trafford following a successful spell in charge of Ajax, but his tenure at Old Trafford has already seen its fair share of controversies.
Erik ten Hag Has Fallen Out With Cristiano Ronaldo & Jadon Sancho
In his debut season, Ten Hag fell out with one of the greatest players in history, Cristiano Ronaldo.
The coach kept him on the bench more often than not and penalized him following his outbursts. In November 2022, Ronaldo gave an explosive interview to British broadcaster Piers Morgan, saying he did not respect Ten Hag, as the coach never showed any towards him. In the aftermath of the interview, United terminated Ronaldo’s contract by mutual consent.
This season, Jadon Sancho has been banished by the club after he refused to apologize to Ten Hag. The Englishman publicly called his manager a liar after he cited poor training-ground performance as the reason behind Sancho’s omission from the trip to Arsenal on September 3.
Ibrahimovic Questions Ten Hag’s Ability To Manage Manchester United Stars
Former Manchester United star Ibrahimovic recently had a chat with Piers Morgan on Talk TV, during which he discussed the differences between Ajax and United. The former striker said that the tactics that worked at Ajax would not work at Old Trafford, as the two teams had different mentalities.
The Swede said (via talkSPORT):
“Ajax is a talented club. They have the best talents in the club. They don’t have big stars.
“What is the experience of this coach? Young talents. He comes to United, it is a different mentality, different players.”
He continued:
“The players there are supposed to be big stars. He is in a different situation. I can imagine him coming from Ajax to United is a big difference, because I have been in both clubs.
“It is a different kind of approach. There you have a different kind of discipline. You come to United and do the same thing… I don’t believe it is the same treatment you give.”
In addition to the controversies, Ten Hag has also failed to guide his team to impressive results this season. The Mancunians currently find themselves in 10th place in the Premier League rankings, having picked up just three wins and endured four defeats in seven games.
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