Zlatan Ibrahimovic questions if Erik ten Hag can handle Man United job as he points out major difference to Ajax

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has questioned whether Erik ten Hag can handle the huge task of managing Manchester United.

The Dutch boss has delivered a no-nonsense approach since taking charge of the Premier League giants in the summer of 2022.

In that time, Ten Hag has forced Cristiano Ronaldo out of the club, seen David De Gea off at the end of his contract and most recently, ousted Jadon Sancho from first team duties.

With Man United sitting in 10th spot in the Premier League, pressure is starting to build around the former Ajax coach.

According to Ibrahimovic, who played for both Ajax and United in a glittering career, the pressure at Old Trafford is completely different to that of the Dutch side.

And he is unsure as of now whether Ten Hag has the right characteristics to manage a club of United’s stature.

Speaking to Piers Morgan on Talk TV, Ibrahimovic said: « Ajax is a talented club. They have the best talents in the club. They don’t have big stars.

« What is the experience of this coach? Young talents. He comes to United, it is a different mentality, different players.

« The players there are supposed to be big stars. He is in a different situation. I can imagine him coming from Ajax to United is a big difference, because I have been in both clubs.

« It is a different kind of approach. There you have a different kind of discipline. You come to United and do the same thing… I don’t believe it is the same treatment you give. »

Ronaldo admitted he didn’t respect Ten Hag after the manner of his departure from United, while Sancho is still refusing to apologise following his falling out with the manager over his public criticism.

Asked whether those two issues show Ten Hag has problems managing big talent, Zlatan replied: “I don’t say it’s the coach’s fault, because experience you cannot buy. You just have to get time to get the experience.

« But it’s two different situations, being in Ajax, being in United. Then if it’s his fault, I don’t think, because I think everybody is responsible for the whole situation. We are a piece of a puzzle from the big puzzle. Everybody has a responsibility to do and to fulfil the demands.

« United has to win, they have to win every title they play for. Now they are being dominated by the neighbours and it’s a totally different situation there. You need to find the right path again and to push for that.

« I think you need a plan, you need a project to follow, and it feels like you follow a project plan and then it goes wild in a moment because of the results. Either you believe in it or you don’t believe in it. But with the situation of the coach, I think he is living two different situations now. Then obviously what happened with Sancho and Cristiano, I don’t know.”

Asked if Ten Hag was out of his depth, he said: “I think he needs more time to get the experience how to handle a team.”

Told by Piers you don’t get time at a club like United, Zlatan replied: “No, obviously not, because we need to win. »

Ibrahimovic then concluded: “You come to my, when I was in Milan, I cannot give you time to develop, to perform, you need to perform straight, because like I said, survival mode, it’s you or another one, because United is in a situation, you don’t do good enough, the next day there is another one, and the result speaks for itself, so that’s why it’s tricky.

« But how much time do you give a coach? I don’t know, it depends on the owners, what they want, but if you listen to the fans, you don’t have a lot of time because they want to win, and I understand them because they are used to winning and they want to still win.

« I think it’s a lot of things. The small details often makes the difference, it’s not the big pictures you see. Because when things are good, there are still errors and problems, but you don’t see it because we are winning.”

For the full interview with Zlatan watch Thursday night’s Piers Morgan Uncensored on TalkTV at 8pm