Steve Bruce urges Manchester United to give underfire boss Erik ten Hag time
Former Manchester United defender Steve Bruce has said that the club should be patient with manager Erik ten Hag, despite the heavy criticism he has faced this season.
The club find themselves down in sixth in the Premier League standings, five points adrift of the top four with roughly one-third of the season played.
An early EFL Cup exit paired with performances in the Champions League which have left them on the brink of elimination means that the prospect of a trophyless season is already very real for the Red Devils.
However, speaking to Sports Mole, Bruce believes that Ten Hag «ought to be afforded time» to turn Man United's fortunes around.
The ex-defender spent nine triumphant years at Old Trafford, but the early years under Sir Alex Ferguson brought limited success for United.
Ferguson was afforded time though, and Bruce thinks the same should apply for Ten Hag, particularly considering the Dutchman's accomplishments at the club so far.
«Well certainly for me, the manager has proved what a good manager he is. When you look at last year, two cup finals and to finish in the top four, there would have been a lot of people who did not think that would be possible,» he told Sports Mole.
«I think he's got to be afforded a bit of time, he's been hit with unbelievable injuries, especially defensively. He never seems to have a settled back four, with the injuries to [Luke] Shaw, [Lisandro] Martinez and [Aaron] Wan-Bissaka in particular.
»They have never really had a settled back four and I think that reflects on them because I think they have conceded three goals six times this year, which is really unheard of. But look, Man Utd is always in a crisis after two games. I think Ten Hag is a very, very good manager and I
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