OFFICIAL: Zinedine Zidane to man united deal completed – Ten Hag has officially been sacked – Sack letter arrived this morning
Former Sky Sports host Richard Keys has laid out his plan for rebuilding Manchester United, which starts with sacking Erik ten Hag. The Red Devils were outworked in their 1-0 defeat away to Newcastle on Saturday evening and the Dutchman’s position remains under pressure at Old Trafford.
United sit five points off Aston Villa in fourth place and are also bottom of their Champions League group, prompting Keys to call for Ten Hag to lose his job. Only Crystal Palace and the four bottom Premier League teams have scored fewer goals than United this season in the league and Keys believes it’s time for the former Ajax head coach to depart, replacing him with Xabi Alonso.
Alonso starred for Liverpool between 2004 and 2009 before taking on the Bayer Leverkusen job after retirement, guiding them to top spot in the Bundesliga by playing some exhilarating football. However, Keys has suggested that he should be given a five-year guarantee at United, similar to the security Sir Alex Ferguson was previously afforded.
“What is the answer to what has happened at Manchester United?” Keys asked on beIN SPORTS. “I thought about that a lot and here is my theory. I would thank the current coach for his time. If I couldn’t go out and get my top target immediately I would then be treading water until I can.
“But the man that I think that Manchester United should get… United are no longer in a position where if top players become available, they are going to sign for United. They are just not going to sign for Manchester United anymore. They can’t go out and do what they once did and sign everybody else’s best player.
“In my view, Manchester United should go now to Leverkusen and they should say to Xabi Alonso: ‘We want you to come to Old Trafford. We will give you Saudi League money and we will guarantee you five years’. Which is what Fergie had when he first went to Manchester United.
“‘Whatever else happens, you have five years to sort this out for us’. And he for me is the individual, the coach, the person that might just be able to get something going.”
Bayer Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro has recently denied that Alonso has a release clause in his contract after he was tipped with moves to the likes of Liverpool and Real Madrid.
If he does become available United would face serious competition for his signature, having proven to be one of the hottest prospects on the coaching market and Keys’ ideal Ten Hag replacement.
