Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag was forced to bat off more questions over his future after a horrific yet predictable loss at Crystal Palace.
Worryingly, this was the easiest of United’s final four league fixtures, and then there is the prospect of the FA Cup final.
Erik ten Hag can save the season with a win at Wembley, but does he give Manchester United the best shot at doing so?
Former Manchester United striker Michael Owen supports the idea of an interim manager.
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Michael Owen thinks Steve McClaren could step up
Michael Owen and Paul Scholes spoke to Premier League Productions following Manchester United’s 4-0 loss at Crystal Palace.
Owen made clear he feels a short-term change is necessary, commenting: “They are going to get smashed out the ball park playing like that. City are going to embarrass them at Wembley in front of millions of people.”
Accepting that options are extremely limited to bring in a coach at short notice, Owen believes one of Erik ten Hag’s coaching staff, Steve McClaren, could step up.
He does not believe McClaren is part of the problem, commenting that he believes the former England and Newcastle manager’s influence is being sidelined.
Owen said: “We’ve played under Steve McClaren. There’s no way his fingerprints are anywhere near that team. He is a brilliant coach and that team is not being coached at all. No way.
“There is no way on earth he has got anything to do with that team. It’s impossible. That team is absolutely clueless, right the way through it.
“Steve McClaren is a top operator and I can only think other people are coaching the first team and he’s a bystander.”
Asked if he would take McClaren replacing Ten Hag now, for the rest of the season, Owen responded: “For four games, yeah, anything.
“Something has got to change now. We know its got to change in the summer, there are too many big games, there’s European football next year, there’s a trophy at the end of the year [to play for].
Scholes backed up McClaren praise
Steve McClaren worked as an assistant coach at Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson during the Treble season.
Paul Scholes responded to Owen’s comments with agreement: “He’s not touching that team, the manager [Ten Hag] is not letting him touch that team.
“Everyone thinks we were a great team that attacked everybody and beat people, sometimes we played against better teams, and Steve McClaren put sessions on to make sure you stopped other teams, getting your distances right, getting your angles right, especially in midfield.”
He added with the highest praise of all: “He’s the best coach I ever had.”
Scholes also commented that he believes ‘the fight has gone out’ in this Manchester United team, expressing his concern for the remaining games.