“It can get worse” – Teddy Sheringham warns Manchester United over Ten Hag appointment and potential arrival of Frenkie de Jong

Former Manchester United striker Teddy Sheringham has warned about the possibility of difficulties for his old team in their first season under their new manager, Erik ten Hag.

Sheringham has also asked his former club to be wary of signing Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong this summer ahead of the new Premier League season.

The former Red Devils striker believes the managerial job at Old Trafford is enormous and comes with several unique challenges. He believes that given the club's situation, the board should have appointed a manager who has worked in the Premier League before, unlike the Dutch manager that the club appointed.

Teddy Sheringham said via the Express:

“I don't know an awful lot about Ten Hag, but he's got a tough job on his hands. The scale of the job at United is huge and I felt that, at this moment in time, United needed someone that knows and has experience of the Premier League, which Ten Hag doesn’t have.''

Sheringham also went on to add that Manchester United might struggle in the league even before the World Cup break comes. This, according to him, is because the manager will take time to understand his players and the intensity of the game in England.

“He will not know all his players inside out yet. He doesn't know how fast it's going to be or the intensity of the league. It can take managers and players six months to come to terms with it. There’s a chance that United may be in limbo until the break for the World Cup as he is learning about the Premier League on the job.''

Later in the conversation, Sherringham stressed that it could get more difficult for the Red Devils if the manager fails to put up a structured team in the upcoming season.

“Everything has been sliding out of control. People say it can’t get any worse, it can get worse. If the club isn’t structured right from top to bottom and put on the right path, then United could slide even further.”

He also believes that the pace of the game in England could be a "shock" for Erik ten Hag and his priority target, De Jong, in the transfer window. Ten Hag truly has a massive rebuild task at hand since United finished last season with their worst ever Premier League points tally (58) and their worst ever goals conceding tally (57).

''I'm seeing the rumours about Frenkie de Jong. He hasn't played in the Premier League and has been playing for Barcelona, who are expected to pretty much beat nearly every other team. The pace and quality of the league could be a shock to the system for Ten Hag and a player like De Jong.”

---

Manchester City and Liverpool gear up for next season as Manchester United fail to break their priority target deadlocks

Manchester United are yet to announce their first signing of the season. They are also struggling to place an agreeable bid to Barcelona for De Jong ahead of the new season.

Meanwhile, United's arch rivals Liverpool and Manchester City have hit the ground running, announcing the arrival of a top striker each to bolster their attacking capabilities.

Liverpool have roped in Darwin Nunez from Benfica while Manchester City have signed Erling Haaland as their go-to striker for next season. Meanwhile, Manchester United are struggling to get De Jong on board.

Manchester United have allowed several big players to leave, including the likes of Paul Pogba, Nimanja Matic, Juan Mata, and Jessi Lingard after a dismal last season.

The club need serious replacements before the start of the new season to establish themselves as a potent threat in the league and end their trophy drought.