Lee Sharpe believes Erik ten Hag needs time to turn around Manchester United and has questioned the wisdom of changing manager this summer.
Ten Hag has endured a torrid second season at Manchester United with the Red Devils seventh in the Premier League table and all but out of the running for Champions League football.
United could miss out on Europe altogether, though have progressed to the FA Cup final and will face Manchester City for the chance to win silverware at Wembley next month.
Ten Hag’s position has been questioned with the club having failed to progress from a largely positive first season under the Dutchman, though Sharpe has said patience is required after five permanent managers in the 11 years since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.
“You’ve got to give a manager time because we’ve been going through this for the last 10 or 12 years, managers getting 18 months or two years and then they’re out,” Sharpe exclusively told The Football Faithful, at an event hosted by sports betting site BetVictor.
“It is a difficult situation. Do you give him more money and another season or two, and hope get gets this right? Or does Sir Jim Ratcliffe come in and start from scratch and say no we’re building our own team here?
“The names mentioned, you’ve got (Roberto) De Zerbi, the guy from Portugal (Ruben Amorim). I think (Unai) Emery at Aston Villa is one of the best managers out there, I don’t know if we’d even entertain or look at him.
“That’s a bag of worms you’re opening (new manager) and you’re going down the same routes again. It just makes my head explode, thinking about another manager and starting again, with the mess the club are already in and where we’ve got to get to, to compete with everyone else.”
