“He was let down” - Ex-Manchester United defender hits out at new club owners for not protecting Ten Hag

Former Manchester United defender Paul Parker believes that the club’s leadership, especially following recent ownership changes, has failed to shield the Dutch manager from unwarranted media scrutiny. INEOS, led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, bought a 25 percent stake in Manchester United in December 2023, which included control of the club's sporting division.

Since arriving at Manchester United in 2022, Erik ten Hag has faced constant criticism for the club’s shortcomings. The Dutch manager has a trophy in each of his two seasons at Old Trafford - the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup. The Red Devils finished third in his first season in charge but slumped to an eighth-place finish in the following campaign.

Former footballer turned pundit Paul Parker believes managing Manchester United is "impossible," because of the intense media scrutiny around Old Trafford. He said (via Daily Star):

"I hope he can do something. But it's impossible to get United back to where the club was under Sir Alex. Football now is not going to allow that to happen. The establishment isn't going to allow that. All I want him to do is to put United in a position to compete, and win as many trophies as possible."

"No-one is going to leave him alone if he's managing United. He could manage any other team in the country and be given a chance. If he'd got the Liverpool job, the media would have been swarming all over him. People would have been giving him apples every single day. But because he manages United, people are virtually giving him dolls with pins in."

Ahead of United's FA Cup final against Manchester City last season, a report claimed that Erik ten Hag would be sacked after the match, irrespective of the result. However, the Red Devils secured a 2-1 win and Ten Hag ended up keeping his job.

On Sir Jim Ratclife and other Manchester owners' failure to protect the Dutchman, the pundit said:

"The new people that have taken over the club, what they allowed the media to say about him before the Cup final, I think they owed him a new deal. It was poor. They should have stepped up and called out those people."

"That person who wrote what he wrote, the club should have said something about what he did. He was let down. It was made up, so that person could then do a 'I told you so' story. It should never have been allowed to happen. They didn't do their jobs properly by looking after Erik before that game."

"It could have given the players an excuse to go out and walk around on the pitch at Wembley. But he's still there. The club need to get behind him."

Paul Parker spent five years at Old Trafford during Sir Alex Ferguson’s early reign and he won multiple trophies with the club.

Manchester United handed major injury boost as Rasmus Hojlund returns to training ahead of Crystal Palace match – Reports

Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund has returned to training and is set to feature in the club’s Premier League match against Crystal Palace on Saturday (September 21). The Danish striker is yet to play a single match for the Red Devils this season as he suffered a hamstring injury against Arsenal in pre-season on July 27.

According to Manchester Evening News, Manchester United will welcome Hojlund back against Crystal Palace, with the striker set to be included in the matchday squad.

Summer signing Joshua Zirkzee has been the one spearheading the Red Devils' attack in Hojlund’s absence. With Hojlund's availability confirmed, he is expected to compete with the Dutch forward for the coveted position.