“No coach will do that. It’s not normal. Maybe he is tired of the Job. How can you make those decisions?”- Man United fans think Erik ten Hag decision proves he is ‘waiting to be sacked.
Manchester United supporters are speculating that Erik ten Hag’s recent choices during their 3-3 draw with Porto may suggest he’s anticipating being dismissed from his role.
Following a crushing 3-0 defeat against Spurs at Old Trafford, United got off to a promising start at the Estadio do Dragao. Marcus Rashford opened the scoring just seven minutes in with a brilliant solo effort, and Rasmus Hojlund doubled the lead in the 20th minute, marking his first start of the season. Porto’s goalkeeper Diogo Costa was at fault for both goals, giving United control of the game.
But things soon fell apart for United. Pepe pulled one back for Porto, and Samu Omorodion leveled the score with a header after United failed to defend a cross. Early in the second half, Omorodion struck again, giving Porto a 3-2 lead. The young forward, formerly of Atletico Madrid, caused trouble for United’s new center-back duo, Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt, throughout the game, leading to criticism of their performance.
In a surprising move, Ten Hag substituted both Martinez and De Ligt in the 77th minute, bringing on Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans. This decision left many fans baffled.
One fan commented, “Maguire and Evans… in midfield? Clearly, Erik’s waiting for his payout.”
Another voiced frustration, saying, “Maguire and Evans when we’re losing???”
A third joked, “Down 3-2, 78 minutes in. Who do you call? Maguire and Evans, obviously.”
A fourth fan remarked, “We’re down 3-2, and Maguire and Evans come on? Makes perfect sense. Let’s go, lads.”
Despite the negative reactions, Maguire managed to score a late equalizer in stoppage time, which may have eased some of the pressure on Ten Hag. However, with Bruno Fernandes receiving his second consecutive red card, United, now down to 10 men, face a challenging away fixture against Aston Villa on Sunday.
