‘Inevitable’ was the word Martin Keown used to describe the fate of Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag following Thursday’s alarming collapse away to Chelsea, the Red Devils somehow managing to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead and still lose the game ten minutes into second-half stoppage-time.
Was this the straw that breaks the camel’s back, Manchester United’s soft centre exposed brutally by the red-blooded Cole Palmer in front of new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe?
Keown, a three-time Premier League champion with Arsenal under Arsene Wenger, knows what it takes to succeed at the top end of the division. And, as far as he is concerned, there is nothing in Man United’s current performances to suggest that better days are just around the corner as long as Erik Ten Hag remains in the dugout.
Erik ten Hag hanging by a thread at Manchester United
“I don’t like seeing anyone lose their job but it’s inevitable isn’t it,” Keown tells talkSPORT (5 April, 10am).
“I’m not seeing the progression, the next step. You can’t kid Manchester United fans, saying (they played) magnificent. I think it’s as clear as day that he won’t be there next season.”
It feels a little churlish to say, of course, but it wasn’t all bad at Stamford Bridge. There was another statement performance by Alejandro Garnacho – a 19-year-old who is accumulating quite the collection of ‘clutch’ moments.
Mason Mount looked the part in another impressive late cameo too, while the much-maligned Antony continues to keep his United career alive, following up that Liverpool strike with a sublime trivela assist with the outside of his trusty left boot.
“Only Mason Mount showed any sort of effort, and he’s only been there five minutes,” Keown adds. “They are too reliant on individuals.
“They are giving moments, like Antony’s ball. Fantastic. (But) that’s his first assist of the season for goodness sake!”
Antony’s brilliance counts for nothing at Stamford Bridge
In truth, Antony rather sums up the Ten Hag era. Brief glimpses of genuine top-level quality littering long spells of mediocrity. There remains an expectation that Antony will be sold in the summer, United have reportedly lined up Michael Olise as his replacement, and ?the same fate looks destined to befall the man who brought him to Old Trafford from Ajax in the first place.
“We dominated the game. Especially the wide players were a danger, Garnacho, Antony,” Ten Hag said, via Manchester World, after a staggering 17 defeat of the season.
“(Antony) was very good. I said it already before, the last weeks, he’s progressing. You see it in training, you see it when he came on against Liverpool, also against Brentford. He’s stepping up.
“He’s understanding the message, he’s progressing, so we are pleased with that.”