Neville: Draw Gives Ten Hag More Time as Man Utd Fans’ Expectations Lower

Man Utd legend Gary Neville believes that the draw against Aston Villa in this round of the Premier League may give Ten Hag more breathing room.

The 0-0 draw with Aston Villa means that Man Utd has only won 3 out of their first 10 games this season, accumulating a mere 8 points, marking their worst start in the Premier League.

Gary Neville stated that while the draw is an acceptable result, it also exposes the low standards under Ten Hag’s leadership. “This is a small step. Before the game, if you had proposed a draw to any Man Utd fan, player, or coach, they would have accepted it immediately. However, after the game, when you see Ten Hag’s interview, you can feel a sense of relief because it gives them a few weeks to escape the external pressure. This is the worst start in Man Utd’s history in the Premier League, so we cannot celebrate. Although getting one point against Villa is good, it also shows how low Man Utd’s current level is.”

“It gives him more time. I don’t think anyone thinks anything major will happen after the game. They believe that would require a tough day or a heavy defeat like last week against Tottenham.”

Neville also mentioned that the club’s management does not want to ‘overturn’ their decision early in the season, “They certainly do not want to do anything drastic this season. No club wants to sack their head coach mid-season. It’s not just a reflection on the coach but also on the club’s management. Despite INEOS starting to take control of football matters over the past few months – Dan Ashworth and Omar Berrada have only been here for a few months – you can’t blame all the responsibility on them. They need two or three years to resolve everything. But the club decided to keep Ten Hag in the summer, so they don’t want to overturn that decision after six or seven games. They can only hope for some changes in the coming weeks.”

“Man Utd fans, coaches, and players talked about the new structure around Ten Hag, which needs to take effect quickly in the coming weeks. If Man Utd is still ranked 13th or 14th by the next international break, I think there will be significant pressure.”