“This job is going to be too big for him” - ‘Small man’ Ten Hag told he isn’t the right man to take ‘mental minnows’ Manchester United forward

Jordan launches attack on the Manchester United boss
Jordan launches attack on the Manchester United boss
Erik ten Hag has been told he's not the right man to bring Manchester United back to the top
Erik ten Hag has been told he's not the right man to bring Manchester United back to the top
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Former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan has told talkSPORT that Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is the wrong man for the Old Trafford job.

The Dutch tactician was appointed Red Devils boss in late April, succeeding interim manager Ralf Rangnick.

He has overseen one win and two defeats in his first three fixtures in charge, with Monday night's 2-1 win over Liverpool being vital following a disappointing start.

Ten Hag made a huge call prior to the match by dropping supposed wantaway star man Cristiano Ronaldo and captain Harry Maguire.

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Jordan doesn't believe Ten Hag is the man to take United forward, despite the former Ajax coach's risk having paid off.

He believes the Manchester United job is too big for the former Ajax head coach, having seen him give a post-match interview:

“Do you know what I took away from that interview yesterday? Honestly, I looked at Ten Hag and thought that this job is going to be too big for him. That was my take away."
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He continued:

“I watched him step up at the end and I saw a small man in a suit that doesn’t fit him and I thought ‘you don’t look like I thought you would. Do you know what I thought he’d look like in personality and demeanour? Jaap Stam, with his chest out."
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“I know he doesn’t have the physical components of Jaap Stam and when I saw his list of rules about you won’t do this, and you won’t talk outside the dressing room."

Alluding to the victory over Liverpool, Jordan said:

“It doesn’t alter the landscape for these players. In my mind, they are still mental minnows."
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"It's easy not to play Ronaldo" - Jordan continues to critique Ten Hag's credentials to be Manchester United manager

The United forward came on in the 84th minute
The United forward came on in the 84th minute

Ten Hag's decision to drop Ronaldo was not a huge risk, according to Jordan who continues his somewhat bizarre attack on the Manchester United boss:

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"It’s easy not to play Ronaldo because he isn’t match fit. I don’t look at it and think it’s such a brave decision. Because the media create such a back story about how important Ronaldo is, it doesn’t mean that Ten Hag is so brave that he doesn’t follow the narrative of the scribes.”
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The backlash over dropping Ronaldo was huge, with many fans and media scrutinizing the decision.

The Portuguese star started Manchester United's demoralizing 4-0 defeat to Brentford on August 13 but question marks remain over the player's future.

If the five-time Ballon d'Or winner was fit enough to start against the Bees, then Jordan's case that he wasn't match fit doesn't hold too much merit. It is harsh criticism to call out the strengths of a manager based on his size and demeanor.

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Edited by Matthew Guyett
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