Erik ten Hag's Manchester United have been resurgent in the Premier League in recent weeks but the Real Sociedad defeat re-raised questions about his suitability for the Old Trafford job.
That’s the view of Mirror Sport columnist Stan Collymore, the former Liverpool and England striker who still isn’t sure Ten Hag has the character to carry a club of United’s magnitude. Collymore said: “Manchester United have been excellent in the Premier League in the last few weeks — the victories against Liverpool and Arsenal were very good.
“But the sad passing of The Queen sent the Real Sociedad result under the radar and, if we’re giving pats on the backs for the style they showed and results they gained against Arsenal and Liverpool, then you have to say the Sociedad performance wasn’t good enough as well.
“The key takeout from those games is that United now need to be consistent. They were down and out a few weeks ago, punters were ready to turn, Ten Hag looked feckless and had the look of a manager who wasn’t gong to be a million miles from the sack if he wasn’t careful.
“Then, within two weeks, he was a tactical genius who’d ridden out the storm and instilled confidence and belief. It’s still very early days, of course, and the signs are there that he has at least a pliable and malleable team to be able to work with.
“One which will listen to him and want to play the way he does, which is high-pressing and high-octane. That falls into line with the rest of clubs at the top of world football.
“The question, though, is when he goes through another period of adversity, will he fall because he hasn’t got the same X-factor that Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp have? I’ve asked this, too, of Graham Potter, who I like a lot.
“Does he have the personality to be able to walk into a press conference for three of four games when you go on a losing run with a big club and convince people to come along on your path. Time will tell with Potter at a club of Chelsea ’s size and with Ten Hag, it’s the same thing.
“Ten Hag explains technical detail very well and when he came out after those victories against Liverpool and Arsenal, it was all of a sudden, ‘Oh, he’s making lots of sense and the way he is describing his technical and philosophical take on football is very good’.
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“But personality is ultimately what gets managers sacked or not and I’m not sure the Dutchman is an ‘I’m-going-to-take-you-on-a-journey’ kind of manager. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was lacking that but the fact he was a United legend meant he got time.
“Ten Hag will be asked more questions about his ability to bring men and organisations along with him this season than Klopp or Pep will. That’s because they have already proved they can not only coach great teams but bring huge swathes of people — ownership, players and supporters — along with them.
“Ten Hag hasn’t yet - and we need to know whether or not he can.”
