10 December 2023 , 10:02
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Danny Murphy believes Manchester United must sack Erik ten Hag following their 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Dominic Solanke, Philip Billing and Marcos Senesi all scored for the Cherries as they earned their first ever away win against United. The result also means that United have now conceded three or more goals at Old Trafford five times in a single season for the first time in 60 years.
And Murphy believes that with United "regressing", they need to get rid of Ten Hag now. "The fact Bournemouth won at Old Trafford and no one is surprised tells you everything you need to know about Manchester United under Erik ten Hag," he wrote in a column for the Mail on Sunday "If United want to dine at English football's top table again, Ten Hag is not the manager to take them there. United just cannot compete with City, Liverpool and Arsenal with the players they have under Ten Hag.
"I don't see a team that's progressing after a good first season. I see one that's regressing and I don't see how that will change with Ten Hag in charge."
Murphy says it is "clear this manager isn't the right man for United" and feels he is simply out of his depth.
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"I've always thought United would give Ten Hag until the end of the season but if they want to get to where they want to be, a change probably needs to happen now and let a new manager work out what he needs to do," he added. "It's a shame because Ten Hag is a likeable guy but you get the sense the United job came a bit too early for him.
"At Ajax, he never had to manage superstars. He never had to deal with the constant magnifying glass of being at one of the biggest clubs in the world. He's learning on the job and it's not working. Unless the manager changes, neither will the style."
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is under increasing pressure (OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)Speaking after the game, Ten Hag admitted his players are "not good enough to be consistent" and that they "made life easy" for Bournemouth. "I think as a squad we are not good enough to be consistent and we have to work as a squad to improve that," he said in his post-match press conference.
"As a group we have to improve and in fact we have to get tougher, so we are ready for the game from the start. I said it on Friday: in this league, it can't be that you are not playing at the highest levels because you will get killed.
"That is what happened in the first five minutes and then you are following facts, especially against them, such a good transition team. And you made life easy for them – it was the perfect conditions for them to play in."