Roy Keane believes Erik ten Hag‘s prospects of improving Manchester United upon his arrival from Ajax are enhanced because the current team “can’t get any worse”.
United were tipped to challenge Manchester City and Liverpool for the title after finishing second in 2021-22 and signing Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane in the summer, but instead are on course to achieve their lowest points tally in Premier League history.
The club are currently 28 points behind the league leaders City and Keane admitted that he is “worried” by how far United have fallen below their domestic rivals.
“It’s ugly that, Whatever way you look at it, it’s not good,” former Man Utd midfielder Keane said on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, after looking at a statistical breakdown of United’s regression this season.
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“I think that it’s the points total that worries me. Even last year when you were thinking Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer] did well to finish the second… there’s such a big gap.”
United are set to undergo a sizeable rebuild during the summer transfer window with a number of players tipped to leave. Nemanja Matic, Juan Mata and Edinson Cavani will all depart at the end of their contracts, with Jesse Lingard and Paul Pogba also expected to exit on a free. Marcus Rashford is another who could move on following a disappointing campaign.
But Keane warned that regardless of which players arrive or leave, United will still have to play catch-up on City and Liverpool as they too will strengthen their squad when the transfer window re-opens.
“The big problem for Man United whatever issues they’ve got, of course you have to look at where Man City or Liverpool are,” Keane added.
“We’re talking about Man United rebuilding as if Liverpool and Man City and these other teams are going to take it easy over the summer. They’re going to reinvest, they’re going to get players in, they’re going to get stronger. Klopp is staying on, Pep might stay on.
“I think recruitment is gonna be [important]… he’s going to have to get the right players in, the right characters and get players out the door because the last few years just haven’t been good enough. How many times can you say it? And the biggest worry for me when they’ve had these disappointments is the reaction. There’s been a real lack of leadership. And I go back to it, whatever about talent, not enough characters in that dressing room.”
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, meanwhile, believes the size of the task facing Ten Hag is not dissimilar to the job that faced Jurgen Klopp when he joined Liverpool in October 2015.
Liverpool finished sixth in 2014-15, 25 points behind that season’s champions Chelsea and had made a poor start to the following campaign under Brendan Rodgers.
“I think it’s very similar, it really is and I think it was possibly a harder job for Jurgen Klopp,” Carragher said.
“Because I think the funds for any Manchester United manager we’ve seen over the last 10 years and going forward there will be possibly a lot more than what Jurgen Klopp had when he first came in.
“People talk about how long it should take Ten Hag or any top manager at a top club and there’s talk of Liverpool or Man City being five years, somebody even mentioned 10 years ahead of Manchester United. I think it’s absolute rubbish, I really do and I think a top manager gets a top club back on track within a couple of years.
“That’s not saying to win the title or the Champions League, but they get them back on track where they’re competing.”
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And Carragher believes it is paramount that Ten Hag guides the club back into the top four at the first time of asking.
“If you look at Klopp’s first season he came in October and Liverpool finished eighth and in some ways it would probably be better for United if they finish eighth this season and there’s no European football,” he said.
“In his [Klopp’s] first full season they get Champions League and that has to be what Manchester United do next season with Ten Hag. He has to get Champions League football, he has to.
“Liverpool, United, all the great clubs, they should be judged on the Premier League and the Champions League, not necessarily winning it but they’ve got to be in there.”
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