03 October 2023 , 06:18
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Former Manchester United star Zlatan Ibrahimovic has questioned Erik ten Hag 's future at Old Trafford amid the club's escalating crisis.
Ten Hag has seen United slump to their worst-ever Premier League start, with four defeats in their opening seven games. The Red Devils also lost their opening Champions League game of the season, away at Bayern Munich a fortnight ago.
Before arriving at Old Trafford, Ten Hag spent five years in charge of Ajax, winning three Eredivisie titles and two KNVB Cups. But while he has that silverware success, Ibrahimovic is growing concerned that he is not the right man for United.
The former striker won the Europa League and the Carabao Cup during his time with the Red Devils. And he is worried that Ten Hag is not able to handle a squad of superstars, rather than the up-and-coming players he dealt with at Ajax.
"Coming from Ajax to United as he did is a big difference — I have been in both clubs. You have a different kind of discipline. Ajax is a talented club. They have the best talents in the club. They don’t have big stars," Ibrahimovic told TalkTV.
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"What is the experience of this coach? Young talents, he comes to United, it is a different mentality. The players there are supposed to be big stars. I don’t think you give the same treatment.
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Zlatan Ibrahimovic discussed the situation at Man Utd and Erik ten Hag's future (RAI)"How much time do you give a coach? It depends on the owners, what they want, but if you listen to the fans, you don’t have a lot of time because they want to win, and I understand them because they are used to winning and they want to still win."
The saga that saw Cristiano Ronaldo leave United last December following an explosive interview and Jadon Sancho's continuing exile is also raising warning signs in Ibrahimovic's mind.
The Swedish legend insisted that United 'have to win', but that Ten Hag is getting caught between securing immediate success and setting up a long-term project. That has led to him urging club bosses to begin considering if the Dutchman is the right man for the job.
"United has to win, they have to win every title they play for. Now they are being dominated by neighbours Manchester City and it’s a totally different situation there. Everybody has a responsibility to fulfil the demands," he added.
"You need to find the right path again and to push for that. You need a plan, you need a project to follow. It feels like you follow a project plan and then it goes wild in a moment because of the results.
"Either you believe in it or you don’t believe in it. But with the situation of the coach, I think he is living two different situations now. Then obviously what happened with Sancho and Cristiano, I don’t know. When things are good, there are still errors and problems, but you don’t see it because we are winning."