Rio Ferdinand believes that Erik ten Hag has earned “plenty of good grace” at Manchester United despite his side making a slow start to the season.
United sit 11th in the Premier League table after taking six points from their opening four games. Ten Hag’s side have lost twice already, going down 2-0 and 3-1 away at Tottenham and Arsenal respectively, and won by slender margins at home against Wolves and Nottingham Forest.
When performances are considered alongside the incident between Ten Hag and £73 million winger Jadon Sancho – who the manager left out of his squad for the trip to Arsenal – it hasn’t been an uncomplicated start to the season.
However, former United defender and TNT Sports pundit Rio Ferdinand believes Ten Hag has already done enough good work at Old Trafford to show that he is the right man for the job.
“No, it’s too early. You’re a couple of games into the season,” Ferdinand told TNT Sports when asked if Ten Hag is under pressure to kick-start United’s campaign.
“From what he did last season, the improvements we saw, the guy navigated a very good season from where United were [before they hired him in 2022]. So I think he’s earned himself plenty of good grace and rightly so.”
Despite backing Ten Hag, Ferdinand admitted that United fans are yet to see the progress they expected the team to make this term.
“It’s been like last season, hasn’t it? United started last season under Ten Hag – his first season – with a few bad results and performances, and I think the same has happened this season,” Ferdinand said.
“I think the Arsenal performance wasn’t as bad as the fall-out from the game. But you want to see progression from last season but at the moment there isn’t.”
Ferdinand argued that there are factors contributing to United’s struggles, but accepted that they are part and parcel of the game.
“It’s not an excuse, but you’ve got to put alongside that [poor performances] the amount of injuries United have got at the moment,” Ferdinand said.
“I think if other teams lose those players important to their team – other than probably Man City – all the other teams struggle and get similar results.
“But that’s the way it goes, you’ve got to work out how to get out of those slumps. At the moment they’re in a bit of a precarious position but the international break has come around and they have a chance to regroup.”
United will return to action when they welcome the so-far impressive Brighton to Old Trafford on September 16.
Four days later they face the unenviable task of playing Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena in the Champions League.
