Paul Scholes on same page as Gary Lineker as Erik ten Hag's Man Utd job hangs in balance
EXCLUSIVE: Paul Scholes admitted Manchester United are going backwards in terms of progress following a disastrous start to the season which has seen them slip to 13th in the table
Paul Scholes and Gary Lineker agreed there is no direction at Manchester United under Erik ten Hag following a horrendous start to their season.
The Red Devils have already endured some tough results just six games in, including back-to-back 3-0 home defeats to Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, and find themselves languishing in 13th place in the Premier League.
Scholes - who paid a special visit to four lucky Salford City fans who secured a helicopter ride to their side's away trip at Newport County this past Tuesday, thanks to the club's front-of-shirt sponsor, Fireball - has been left feeling dispirited at his old side's plight under ten Hag.
While the former England star retained his position that he'll never call for a manager to lose his job, the 49-year-old questioned how much longer United fans can endure the poor results and absence of a positive direction during an exclusive interview with Mirror Football .
Ten Hag only kept hold of his job by the skin of his teeth after guiding the team to an FA Cup triumph last term, salvaging a season that saw them finish outside the European places in eighth. There have been no signs of improvement so far this time around despite £180million being spent on new arrivals, and Scholes is starting to lose faith.
"I'm not sure about giving a timescale," he said when asked how long he'd give before Ten Hag's gone as speculation continues to swirl. "I've certainly said before that I've never asked for a manager to be sacked, it's not a nice thing. But, you do wonder how long this can keep on going on.
"I think the big thing from me and other people who've been at the club and fans, more importantly, they want to see a little bit of direction, a style of play that they can get behind. And I don't think at this point we're anywhere close to seeing a direction.
"I've also said before that when Liverpool won the league, when Man City won the league, you could feel something happening for them, like 3 or 4 years before that. It just doesn't feel like we're getting anywhere near, it feels like we're getting further away rather than closer to where the club should be."
Scholes' thoughts on his former side were seconded by Lineker who discussed the Premier League giants on The Rest Is Football podcast. The Match of the Day host insisted that things have only gotten worse at Old Trafford since the arrival of INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe - and claimed that he also doesn't see what the team's identity is under Ten Hag.
"We've been saying this for most of last season, 'Give them time, they've brought in new players', but nothing seems to make any difference," Lineker said.
"Obviously they've got a different setup at the top with Jim Ratcliffe and his team... but there's no real improvement. It must be pretty grim being a Man United fan at the moment... it's getting gradually worse.
"You look at other teams, even like Bournemouth and Brighton, you can see the way they play and see the organisation, the planning, the high press. You might look at Brighton and say, 'That's crazy that high line', but it is a way of playing.
"It's the same with Tottenham. They were brilliant today, they play that risk-and-reward style that Ange Postecoglou likes - they've got an identity, and you look at Manchester United... they're miles off it."
Ten Hag has remained defiant and insisted that he is not focussing on speculation around his future, however, it is reportedly a topic of discussion in the dressing room with players questioning how much longer the Dutchman will be given.
It's claimed that the next two games, away at Porto and Aston Villa, could have a huge bearing on his future, with Inter Milan's Simone Inzaghi said to be one of several contenders should Ratcliffe pull the trigger and axe ten Hag.
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