Alan Shearer has slammed Manchester United for allowing news of Erik ten Hag’s impending sacking to leak out on the eve of the FA Cup final.
The Dutchman is set to take charge of the Red Devils for the final time this afternoon and will not be granted a third term at the helm, regardless of whether or not his side defeats Manchester City at Wembley.
United are already understood to have drawn up a shortlist of candidates to replace Ten Hag, with Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna among the favourites to take over.
After overseeing a dreadful campaign which featured a number of record breaking lows, United’s key decision makers will argue they are justified in bringing Ten Hag’s reign to an end.
Shearer, however, has questioned the timing of the speculation and believes Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his fellow boardroom members have operated with a lack of class.
The former England captain told the BBC: ‘I think he’s been treated with disrespect. I think it’s been wrong.
‘I think the silence is deafening from the owners who have this great business who are brilliant at business who brought all the top guys into different positions.
‘But no-one has said a word to or about his job, whether it’s safe or whether it’s not. I think from a human point of view it’s wrong.’
Despite his fate appearing to have been sealed, Ten Hag came out fighting in an interview with Dutch outlet Voetbal International on Friday and claimed he still expected to be given the chance to take United forward next season.
He said: ‘They said they want to change everything and that they want to rebuild with me,’ Ten Hag told Dutch outlet Voetbal International. ‘This is what they told me directly.
‘Let me be clear. It has been bad. It has been crap. But despite everything, we are going to play an FA Cup final.’
Ten Hag went on to hit back at pundits who have called for his dismissal or been overly critical of Manchester United, claiming they see the fallen giants as ‘easy prey’
‘The pundits in England want to score, they want to show they are worth the money, and for that Manchester United is an easy prey,’ the 54-year-old added.
‘It’s the biggest club in England and possibly in the world. The club is either loved or hated, there is no in-between. So when things go bad, they all start talking and talking with very big words.
‘All this negativism from these so called experts who don’t have the capability to analyse something with facts, but who prefer to attack people to make themselves look better.
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