Ex-Man Utd coach insists Erik ten Hag needs to leave Red Devils | OneFootball

Former Manchester United coach Rene Meulensteen has declared that it's high time for Erik ten Hag to throw in the towel, saying the Dutchman simply doesn't have what it takes to helm the Premier League giants.

To say it's been an underwhelming season for the Red Devils is an understatement - the club find themselves languishing in eighth place in the Premier League, with the daunting challenge of clawing their way into a European place.

Despite the possibility of salvaging some silverware with the FA Cup final against Manchester City later this month, United's season has been marred by a staggering 18 defeats across all competitions.

Meulensteen, who boasts six years of experience at the club as a first-team coach under Sir Alex Ferguson, strongly advocates for a change in leadership with Ten Hag's contract set to expire next summer.

"The trend with Manchester United is they have regressed, and that is the worrying thing," Meulensteen told the Manchester Evening News.

"There's no coming away from it because the numbers are backing that up. As simple as that. You look at the Champions League campaign, you look at their Premier League campaign, 13 losses, a goal difference of minus three. They're in 8th position in the Premier League.

"They're not guaranteed to get into Europe. A lot of signs are they are not moving in the right direction. If you analyse those trends, you would obviously say, Erik ten Hag probably isn’t the right man to lead Manchester United forward."

Casemiro has failed to impress under Ten Hag this season / Sebastian Frej/MB Media/GettyImages

Meulensteen added: "Now, obviously, we also know all the changes have been taking place behind the scenes with Jim Radcliffe coming in, Sir David Brailsford as well there, Barretta, they come in, Wilcox, maybe then Ashworth. So, there's a lot of happening behind the scenes.

"And the most important person to answer that question if Erik ten Hag is the right man is those I have mentioned. And I'm sure that those people must have had conversations with Erik ten Hag already, with staff, with players, to make a fair judgement of that, because he is not a bad coach, and I'm sure he's not a bad manager because his previous record with Ajax has proven that."

United host Arsenal on Sunday, aiming to throw a spanner in the works of their Premier League title aspirations. The last time the sides met, the Gunners emerged victorious thanks to two late goals from Declan Rice and Gabriel Jesus.