Andy Cole: ‘You can’t just blame Erik ten Hag for Manchester United’s shortcomings’

As we enter the international break, Erik ten Hag’s future could be decided before Manchester United’s next league fixture against Brentford on October the 19th. Club legend Andy Cole believes that Ten Hag’s FA Cup and League Cup triumphs shouldn’t be deemed as ‘lucky’ and that he’s not solely to blame for the club’s recent shortcomings. In an exclusive interview with Betfred, Manchester United’s former number nine also discusses why he believes Bruno Fernandes and Lisandro Martínez will bounce back from their poor spell of form, why he hopes Marcus Rashford doesn’t look back at his career with regret, plus much more.

The Athletic have claimed that Manchester United’s hierarchy spoke yesterday and today regarding the future of Erik ten Hag. After the 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last week, it was believed that Erik had two games to save his job and secured two draws away at Porto and Aston Villa, respectively. Do you believe those results are enough to save him in the short-term?

“Whatever the people in charge decide to do, it will be done with the best interests of the club in mind. That’s that. However you look at it, for an individual to win two cup competitions in their first two seasons at Manchester United, that’s not lucky. You can’t be lucky two seasons on the bounce. 

“The club will do whatever they decide to do but if you look at the bigger picture, you can’t just blame the manager. The manager picks the players, but the players are the ones that have to go out there and win football matches. That’s the way it is.”

After their 3-3 draw with Porto midweek. Erik ten Hag told reporters “We will get there. Don’t judge us in this moment, wait until the end of the season. I said the same last season. We’re in a process. We will improve.” Do you think Erik ten Hag is purely saying things like this to give himself time and do you think he believes what he’s saying?

“It’s the same as any other manager because they want to be given a chance and they want to be given an opportunity. Sir Alex Ferguson, the greatest manager in the club’s history, didn’t win a trophy in his first three years at Manchester United.

“Does constantly changing managers help? No it doesn’t. Winning two cups in two seasons isn’t easy to do, regardless of what others say. If it was easy to do, then everyone would. If you take away Pep Guardiola, if you look at all the ‘elite’ managers in England at the moment, what have they won? They haven’t won a couple of trophies in their first two seasons have they? If I was a manager and I won the League Cup and FA Cup in my first two seasons at a club like Manchester United, then I’d be buzzing. 

“I’ve met Erik a few times and he’s a very nice guy, so I can only judge somebody by how they treat me.”

If Erik was to lose his job during the international break, then do you believe Ruud van Nistelrooy could be successful in the role on an interim basis?

“Nine times out of ten, it seems to be the case that when a manager goes, the assistant or another member of the coaching staff takes over in the short-term. If Ruud gets the opportunity, then he will do the job to the best of his ability. 

“I’ve always got on well with Ruud and I’ve had quite a few conversations with him since his return to the club. It’s all hypothetical at the moment, but if it happens, it happens. He will do the job to the best of his ability if he gets the chance, just like Erik ten Hag has done the job to the best of his ability.”

Overall, how do you rate Matthijs de Ligt’s beginning to life at Manchester United?

“Talking from my own experience, playing for Manchester United is playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world and expectation levels are so high. You’re expected to hit the ground running and if you don’t hit the ground running, then you’re deemed not good enough. It takes more time to adjust than a lot of people think it does. 

“In a couple of games he’s looked half-decent and in a couple of games he’s struggled. Sometimes when you’re playing in a team that’s not playing well, you’re going to find that inconsistency. He’s played for big clubs such as Ajax, Bayern Munich and Juventus, so he’s got the pedigree, but he, like every other player in that team, is waiting for everything to click and for that form as a collective to shine through. Once his confidence is in tip top condition, then we go from there.”

Are you worried by the form of Bruno Fernandes and Lisandro Martínez, two players that have been so reliable for Erik ten Hag during his tenure at the club?

“With Bruno, I’m not. I know a lot of people don’t like him and how he acts, but I like the guy because he never leaves a stone unturned. He always gives 100% and I know he moans and screams a little bit more than others, but he only does that because it’s for himself as much as his teammates. His form will come back and this period right now is probably the only time he’s ever been out of form throughout the entirety of his Manchester United career, so you can’t really question him because this has been the only time. He will get there because he plays with his heart on his sleeve and he shows that fire and determination.”

“Regarding Martínez, on Thursday against Porto, he and [Matthijs] De Ligt both found it really tough. Not usually do they come up against a centre-forward like Samu [Omorodion] that’s physical and good in the air. The pair of them got bullied.

“His form hasn’t been great this season and it’s the first time that anybody’s really questioned it. When he first came to Manchester United he struggled, but he then almost immediately started performing really well. He, like Bruno, will come back, it’s just a matter of time.”

Have you been impressed by Christian Eriksen’s recent spell in Manchester United’s starting XI?

“He’s always been a good player. He’s taken the opportunity he’s been given and he hasn’t let anybody down. I thought he played really well against Aston Villa on Sunday and we can all talk about his age and whether he’s got the legs anymore, but he keeps the ball and Manchester United need players like him. 

“Every time he’s played this season, he’s done well and he’s scored a couple of goals too. He’s always been a good player and he will remain a good player.”

Do you believe we’re seeing Marcus Rashford slowly returning to his best form?

“Possibly. Marcus is an interesting kid because against Porto in the first-half, I thought he was Manchester United’s best player. He played well, got his goal and set another up. He was very, very lively and doing what he does best. Against Aston Villa, he had a few good runs but on the flipside of that, he could have been sent off due to two silly challenges. The manager did the right thing by taking him off and he was doing it for the best of the team.

“I heard that Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink said last week that he was unsure whether football is Marcus’ top priority. I was a bit taken aback by it because Jimmy’s worked with England and people only say certain things like that when they’ve seen things going on. I don’t know, but I just hope Marcus doesn’t look back on his career wishing he should have done things differently because he has everything in front of him.”

Could it be a case of Marcus not getting on with Erik ten Hag?

“That’s been suggested previously but even if that is the case, during my time at Blackburn, I had a few ding dongs with Graeme Souness, but I wasn’t playing for the manager, I was playing for myself, my family, my teammates and the supporters. Whatever you feel towards the manager shouldn’t affect how you perform. You don’t have to love the manager to play for yourself, your family, your teammates and your supporters. You’ve got to go out and give everything you’ve got. That’s how I view things like that. 

“As footballers, we’ve all had spats with a manager but once they pick you to play in the team, then it’s not about you and the manager, it’s about the team, your family and the Manchester United supporters. That’s how I always viewed things during my career.”

How desperately do your former club need Luke Shaw to return from injury? How much of a difference do you believe he’d make to Manchester United’s starting eleven?

“100% he’s needed. When you play a right-back at left-back, you’re immediately unbalanced and for that reason alone, Luke’s been a big, big miss. If he’s not fit, then [Tyrell] Malacia is needed because they’re two left-sided players and they’re needed to provide that balance in the team. Hopefully one of them will be fit after the international break and they can go from there.” 

Do you believe Eddie Howe will remain at Newcastle United for much longer after reports of a breakdown in his relationship with the club’s sporting director Paul Mitchell? Do you believe he could even be the next permanent England manager?

“For me, he shouldn’t leave because he’s got an unbelievable job at Newcastle. He’s got a hell of a lot of backing and whatever the issue is that he has with Paul Mitchell, if they do have one, then that has to be addressed. Eddie’s done an unbelievable job, so why would you want to bring somebody in to rock the boat? Eddie’s taken them from a team fighting relegation to competing in the Champions League, but in football, you never know what’s going to happen. 

“I’ve not seen any Newcastle United fans calling for his head and I believe that everybody connected with the club is enjoying Eddie being in charge.”

Do you want to see Lee Carsley get the England job on a permanent basis or is there another manager you’d want to see in the hot seat?

“I’m not saying this in a disrespectful way, but I’m not fussed about who gets the England job. Once anybody gets the England job, expectation levels go through the roof because there’s a group of players that should be winning X, Y and Z, but other international teams aren’t going to lie down because England have a group of players that should be winning something. England has had very, very good players for years, but so have other countries.

“People moaned about Lee Carsley not singing the national anthem, but the game is based on the players, so why do people care about what Lee Carsley is doing? It should all depend on whether he can make this group of players play better as a collective. So far, he’s done very, very well, but it’s up to the FA to give him the job.”

Do you believe Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers should deem himself unlucky to have not made the England squad this time around?

“I really like Morgan. I was speaking to Michael Carrick about him recently and I saw him tore Arsenal apart. He’s another English player that’s playing really well, so why shouldn’t he be included? Carsley looks as if he’s going to give young players opportunities and not be rigid by picking the same players and same team. 

“He’s a little bit unfortunate this time around, but the same could be said for James Maddison because he’s been in decent form for Tottenham. If somebody’s playing well, then they should be given the opportunity, but that’s not always the case.”