13 May 2023 , 08:22
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Erik ten Hag has been warned that history is repeating itself at Manchester United less than three years after Roy Keane accused the squad of throwing managers "under the bus".
Ten Hag has enjoyed a successful first season at Old Trafford, though has endured a challenging past month in charge. He has seen the Red Devils be knocked out of the Europa League and lose their last two Premier League games.
Those defeats have put the pressure on their hopes of finishing in the top four of the table. The faltering performances of the United squad is not unprecedented, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Jose Mourinho both enduring poor runs of form.
After a 6-1 thrashing at the hands of Tottenham in October 2020, legendary captain Keane took aim at those underperforming players. He warned then-boss Solskjaer that those stars would ultimately cost him his job.
“I've been saying it for the last 12 months, year and a half," said Keane of United’s players. "Their performance against Spurs was disgraceful. You all have bad days in football, but some of the players were a disgrace to the Man United badge.
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"There are too many bluffers, and ultimately these players will cost Ole his job. The players he has got there, they threw the previous manager under the bus, and they will do the same to Ole.”
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Solskjaer saw his reign implode after a poor run of form (AFP via Getty Images)Keane's prediction proved to be correct, with Solskjaer sacked just over a year later. Ten Hag arrived last summer as the Norwegian's permanent replacement and has since won the Carabao Cup.
But former United star Jaap Stam is concerned that history may be repeating itself given the team's recent poor run. He warned Ten Hag that some players are not performing to the level that is required.
"He’s been consistent through a big part of the season, but towards the end of it they’re struggling a bit. Certain players are not stepping up and doing the business," Stam told Mirror Football on behalf of Full Circle from bet365.
"You all know other teams need to fight to avoid relegation, so everyone’s fighting for something, they’re making it difficult for United. We’ve seen that in the past couple of games.
"He’s got a couple of games to go and they’re still in there, so we don’t need to be that negative. We all know that sometimes you have a difficult time, a difficult spell, that can happen. But he’s got a bit of an air about him.
"So in the next couple of games, if he can do well and wins them then he’s in the top four. And if he does that you can say he’s had a great season with the players that he had to work with, including implementing a couple of new players, then hopefully bring in new players with extra quality for next season so they can make that next step."