Erik Ten Hag faces the possibility of having his contract terminated after being ordered to be fired by Manchester United’s Glazers due to the team’s poor selection
Manchester United owners the Glazers have been told to sack Erik ten Hag if the Red Devils manager selects Anthony Martial ahead of summer signing Rasmus Hojlund in the next Premier League match. United are set to host the in-form Brighton later this month when the international break comes to an end.
United shelled out £72million to land Hojlund from Atalanta in August after the 20-year-old impressed in Serie A last season. But the Denmark international only made his Red Devils debut as a late substitute against Arsenal at the weekend after arriving in England with a back injury.
Martial started his side’s 3-1 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, before being replaced by Hojlund with 23 minutes remaining. And former United defender Paul Parker doesn’t want to see the France international start ahead of Hojlund again.
“If he doesn’t start against Brighton, then all fans will want Erik ten Hag fired, and it would almost be justified,” Parker told Spilxperten. “It wouldn’t make any sense if he started on the bench.
“Martial shouldn’t even be on the bench. There must be a youth player who is better who can sit on the bench, and Hojlund can be the first striker. All Manchester United fans are fed up with seeing a player with a lousy attitude, who always sulks and complains, and it’s a blessing that Man Utd finally has an attacker who plays with enthusiasm.
“I actually don’t agree that you can’t already judge Rasmus Hojlund based on the minutes he had against Arsenal. You certainly can because he made a huge difference when he was substituted in.
“It was the best thing that could happen to him, that he had to replace Martial because he knew he couldn’t do worse than him. When he came on the pitch, he used his physique and pushed Gabriel, almost sending him flying out of Emirates. Martial has never done that. He just lies down on the ground and cries.
“He ran deep with his tremendous speed, something Martial has never done either. Martial is like a greyhound because a greyhound never runs past the hare, and that’s how Martial is.”
Hojlund will be under pressure to hit the ground running when he makes his first United start. The Red Devils have endured an underwhelming start to the new season and are currently 11th in the Premier League table after picking up just six points from their first four matches.