Gary Neville has claimed it would be “extreme” for Manchester United to sack Erik ten Hag if the Dutchman won the FA Cup.
United advanced to their second consecutive FA Cup final on penalties after an all action semi final against Coventry City at Wembley.
Despite being 3-0 up with 20 minutes left, the Red Devils let the lead slip, with the Sky Blues staging a remarkable come back to force extra time and penalties.
Neville claims sacking Ten Hag would be extreme
United’s win means it’s a repeat of last years final against rivals Manchester City which Ten Hag’s side lost 2-1.
Pressure is mounting on the 54-year-old following dismal campaigns in both the Premier League and the Champions League.
Despite this Neville believes it would be harsh to sack the former Ajax manager if he were to win the FA Cup next month.
“My view would be that if he won the FA Cup and he won a trophy last season, to sack a manager who’s won two trophies in his first two seasons at the club I think would be extreme”, Neville told Sky Sports.
“Winning trophies can never ever be underestimated. If you’ve got a knack for winning trophies and you just get through things I don’t think you can dismiss that.
“There’s a good chance they (INEOS) would sack Ten Hag. They’ve wiped everything else out at the top of the club and if he wins a trophy and it’s two trophies on the bounce, that’s tough.”
However fellow pundit Jamie Carragher believes Ten Hag’s fate was sealed following the win against Coventry.
He said: “We were all watching there in the end and Mark Robins famously kept a Man Utd manager in a job and I think that result today cost a Man Utd manager his job.
“I don’t see how he stays. I don’t. I would imagine that dressing room is the most embarrassed dressing room you could remember if a team who won a big game.”
United are currently 16 points behind Aston Villa in fourth place and are certain to miss out on the Champions League next season.
The Red Devils are embroiled in a battle with Chelsea and Newcastle to qualify for the Europa League, with United currently seventh, level on points with the Magpies in sixth, with Chelsea just three points back having played a game less.
If Neville thinks a couple of pieces of silverware compensates for United’s worst ever campaign in the UCL and what is turning out to be United’s worst ever performance in the EPL likely leaving United without European football next season to boot and breaking all the wrong records as they do then he has lost the plot.
Ten Hag is badly tarnished goods who will not be able to attract the right quality of player in the transfer window. He has proved incapable and often ignorant of United’s on field problems whilst remaining inflexible about his formation and unimaginative in his supposed style of play and his substitutions often turn the tide of a game against United. He has a poor man management record and a woeful recruitment record having wasted the best part of £400 million. He is as bad a manager as United have had in my memory and I remember Sir Matt in charge). Trophies or not he has to go.