Man Utd told they ‘missed the boat’ to replace ‘innovative’ Ten Hag in ‘very strange job’

Former Liverpool and Chelsea defender Glen Johnson insists Man Utd “missed the boat” by not appointing Thomas Tuchel “sooner”.

The Red Devils were reportedly interested in Tuchel over the summer with INEOS speaking to other managers before extending Erik ten Hag’s contract for one year.

Speculation over Tuchel to Man Utd continued early on this season as the Red Devils started the season poorly under Ten Hag.

However, that all ended over the international break with the Football Association appointing former Chelsea boss Tuchel as their new head coach.

And Johnson reckons Man Utd made a mistake by not making their move for Tuchel earlier with the ex-Liverpool defender “over the moon” at the German succeeding Gareth Southgate as England boss.

Johnson told Betfred: “I’m over the moon that he’s the manager of England. We have a fantastic squad and now we have a fantastic manager. The boys are going to love working for him and I’d be surprised if he doesn’t get the best out of this squad.

“I do believe Manchester United have missed the boat by not appointing him sooner and I feel bad saying that when there’s a manager already in the job, but these top managers don’t come around often and the Manchester United job is a tricky one that requires a certain character that can turn that around.”

New co-owners INEOS helped the Premier League club bring in five new players in the summer transfer window but fortunes have not improved on the pitch and Johnson is shcoked at “how slow things are going” under Sir Jim Ratcliffe and co.

Johnson added: “I’m surprised by how slow things are going at Manchester United. It’s a fantastic club with fantastic players, but it’s a very strange job at the moment for a manager. If they sack Ten Hag, then what would they do?

MORE MAN UTD COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 Xavi demands second signing he ‘fully trusts’ at Man Utd after ‘holding talks’ with INEOS
👉 Evra ‘blames’ two Man Utd legends for ‘chaos’ at Old Trafford: ‘It’s not good enough’
👉 ‘Regretful’ Man Utd summer signing already ‘wants to leave’ as Euro giants eye January transfer

“People will still want the job, but it’s a very difficult one to do. With that being said, I’m not surprised that Erik ten Hag is still there. I think they should stick with him, give him more time and see what happens with the team over the next few months. If things don’t turn around soon, then I doubt he will be there next season.”

Dutch legend Edgar Davids, who almost signed for Man Utd in 1996, insists the the “innovative” Ten Hag just needs a top striker to be a success at Old Trafford.

Davids told BetMGM: “I know him [Erik ten Hag] very well. I did an internship at FC Utrecht and he was there. He was very innovative with lots of different things and I was very impressed. He’s very focused and passionate about football.

“We all know it hasn’t gone great at Manchester United. They are a club trying to rebuild and that’s never easy — but I do look at their options up front and think there’s not a prolific goalscorer there which makes such a difference.

“For me, that’s what they are really missing. Rasmus Højlund and Joshua Zirkzee are good, young strikers and have talent but they don’t have that experience yet.

“It’s so hard to say if he’s going to stay but the one thing you do know is, just like Real Madrid, results are what you are judged on and they clearly haven’t been nearly good enough while he’s been in charge.”