If, as reports suggest, Erik ten Hag is set to go out in the same way his fellow Dutchman Louis van Gaal departed the Manchester United hotseat, let’s just hope he exits with a bang, with the sweet smell of champagne and a trophy lift.
The Red Devils have allegedly decided – whatever the outcome of Saturday’s Wembley clash between the two Manchester rivals – that tomorrow will be Erik ten Hag‘s final game in charge of the Red Devils.
And while that may seem a little harsh – sacking a manager when he’s still got a winners’ medal around his neck a la Van Gaal in 2016 – Ineos were never going to bet Manchester United‘s immediate future on the result of a one-off, end-of-season game.
If Ten Hag is indeed a goner, at least a rematch with last season’s FA Cup victors gives the 54-year-old the chance to ride off into the sunset with a smile on his face.
Manchester United face Man City again in FA Cup final
The former Ajax boss does, at least, have Lisandro Martinez, Mason Mount, Victor Lindelof and Marcus Rashford at his disposal again.
The returns of Martinez and Lindelof, in particular, should help offset the loss of Harry Maguire, arguably Man United’s most consistent centre-half this season ‘gutted’ to be ruled out through injury.
“The partnership for two central defenders is key,” Martin Keown, the former Arsenal defender tells talkSPORT (24 May, 12.25pm) when previewing the final.
Keown believes that, even if Lindelof or Martinez are not fit enough to start the game, Ten Hag must search for a solution that does not involve deploying the increasingly-maligned Casemiro at the heart of his backline.
“There is no way that Casemiro should be playing in that position. I would put somebody, anybody there! Maybe (Aaron) Wan-Bissaka there,” Keown argues.
“Sort that area in the middle, and then you can build.”
Constant problems to Ten Hag
Of course, move Wan-Bissaka from the right-back spot and suddenly you’ve got a gap that must be filled on the flank. A gap that could be filled, however, by shifting Diogo Dalot over from the left to the right, and by giving Sofyan Amrabat the chance for a glorious send off in the left-sided full-back spot that has given Erik ten Hag constant headaches – but that sounds like a recipe for disaster.
Ten Hag just needs his actual centre-backs to be fit, and it looks like they might. Even Victor Lindelof could be available.
But the question over Wan-Bissaka shifting role, is one which was also brought up recently.
“When is he going to take Casemiro out the backline? Why can’t Amrabat play there or Scott McTominay?,” Rio Ferdinand told Vibe with Five after the treacle-treading Brazilian played Arsenal’s entire frontline a mile onside en route to Leandro Trossard’s Old Trafford winner recently.
“If you see a few mistakes from somebody who hasn’t played there before, you think; ‘You know what, I’m not going to do this to you. I don’t care how experienced he is, come on, lets get you out of there and back into the position you know’.”
“Aaron Wan-Bissaka can play there (at centre-back),” Ferdinand thinks. “Play Amrabat right-back. That’s the most natural thing for me. Wan-Bissaka centre-back, Amrabat right-back, because he was happy to play left-back for a few games.”