Martin Keown has accused his former rival Ruud van Nistelrooy of waiting in the wings for Manchester United to fire Erik ten Hag.
Ten Hag is under increasing pressure as manager at Old Trafford following a disappointing start to the season, highlighted by the weekend’s 3-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur.
Keown and Van Nistelrooy memorably battled on the pitch 20 years ago, with the Arsenal defender mocking the Manchester United striker after missing a penalty. Keown was given a three-year suspension and fined £20,000.
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It was the culmination of a long-running feud in which Keown claimed that a stamp by Van Nistelrooy caused a foot injury, denying him a place in England’s World Cup squad in 2002.
And Keown has targeted Van Nistelrooy once more, asking: “Is he giving everything to the manager?”
Keown commented on TalkSport: “This manager appears to be lonely on the sidelines. Is Van Nistelrooy prepared to take over? Because it appears that change will occur there.
In His Words?
“Is everyone contributing to the group?” I don’t see that from Van Nistelrooy. Ten Hag is simply sitting there, with no activity or talk taking place. Pep [Guardiola] returns and speaks to the gurus next to him. Is everyone staring in the mirror at themselves and doing their best? The players and staff do not appear to be particularly committed. It’s only one dude in the dugout.”
In the summer, United’s Ineos ownership investigated for alternatives but ultimately decided to keep Ten Hag, awarding the manager a new contract after leading the team to a surprise FA Cup victory over Manchester City.
However, three defeats in their first six games of the season have dropped United to 13th in the table, and Ten Hag is now the frontrunner to be ousted among Premier League managers.
Keown continued: “You could look at it and say, ‘Well, OK, the management team that’s in there, if they allowed him to lose that many games last year, then no wonder he’s going to be allowed to carry on.'” But I’m not sure that’s the best approach to proceed with this present boss. I think it’s time now [for change].”
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