Man United in new Ten Hag sack battle after signing completed – Wyness
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness has revealed the signing of Joshua Zirkzee and arrival of Ruud van Nistelrooy could make it difficult for Manchester United to sack Erik ten Hag.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, the 66-year-old – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – claimed it would be challenging for Man United to return to a different culture following the recent influx of Dutch personnel.
Van Nistelrooy has returned to Old Trafford as one of Ten Hag’s assistant managers alonsgside compatriot Rene Hake after Benni McCarthy and Mitchell van der Gaag left the club.
Their arrival was followed by the signing of Netherlands international Zirkzee, who made the £36.5million move from Italian side Bologna.
Man United could face problems sacking Erik ten Hag
Wyness suggested the Dutchman’s capture could pose potential problems for Man United if they decide to sack Ten Hag further down the line following the previous speculation around his position.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “It’s like Man United are becoming very Dutch.
“You have got Ruud van Nistelrooy behind the scenes coming in as well.
“I don’t know enough about Zirkzee. I’ve looked at his numbers and seen what he’s done.
“I think he’s actually got a chance. He seems to be quite a talented young player. It will depend on how Ten Hag sees him.
“But with a Dutch manager, you would think he will get the best out of him.
“The problem of course then becomes if they are becoming a very Dutch team, can they get rid of Ten Hag at some stage?
“There has been a lot of talk that he’s got one more season and it was handled very badly as we saw before the new season. We are going to have to see.
“But if you start becoming overloaded with one culture, it’s very hard for you to get back to another culture.”
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