MANCHESTER UNITED hero Lee Sharpe claims struggling manager Erik ten Hag is “very similar” to how Sir Alex Ferguson was during his early days at the club.
Ten Hag has found himself under fire amid a turbulent campaign that has seen United getting eliminated in the Champions League group stage and dropping to eighth place in the Premier League.
The Dutch tactician’s future appears uncertain following Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s 25 per cent takeover with the Red Devils losing three of their last five Prem matches.
However, Sharpe insists the 53-year-old shouldn’t be sacked and reminded the fans that Ferguson wasn’t much different during his early years when he took over in 1986.
The versatile midfielder joined the Red Devils just two years after Sir Alex took over and saw him struggle to build his glittering legacy at Old Trafford.
Fergie didn’t win anything in his first four years at the club and some fans even called for his dismissal before he finally lifted the FA Cup in 1990.
Sharpe then went on to win three Premier League titles, two FA Cup trophies and the 1992 League Cup under Ferguson.
And the ex-England international insists Ten Hag needs more time the same way the legendary Scotsman had as he can also lead United back on top.
Sharpe told SunSport on behalf of Fruityslots.com: “I think they’re very similar in a lot of ways. I think he’s very disciplined. He’s very organised. He lives, eats, breathes football.
“You can see he is 100 per cent dedicated to the club and to the task of getting the team right. So I think it is about giving him a bit of faith, giving him a bit of trust and strengthening in January if they can. I think you’ve got to give him a bit of time.
“You know they keep changing managers and a new manager to come in now would have his own philosophy, would want his own players, would ostracise certain players because they wouldn’t fit into his sort of regime.
“So I think it would probably be a little bit more detrimental than helpful if they sacked him now.
“Give him a chance, give him a bit of time to get players back on their feet on the pitch, get the squad strengthened up again and see what it can do from there.
“But I certainly think he knows what he’s talking about. And I would certainly give him a little bit more time.”
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Sharpe insists Ten Hag can’t be blamed alone for this season’s shambles as he has also been dealing with a long and growing injury list.
The former Leeds ace added that even if the ex-Ajax boss was dismissed there wouldn’t be a “great list of candidates” to replace him.
Sharpe added: “Well, I think at the moment [it] would be a bit harsh to sack him. I’m not sure there’s a great list of candidates to take over if I’m honest. But I also think with the injury list he’s had, you saw the bench last night [against Wigan] there was hardly a senior player on the bench.
“So I think he’s had a tough time with injuries. He’s had a few issues to deal with off the pitch as well. So I think he’s had a bit of a tough time in his first 12 months in charge.
“So I think it’s a bit early to pull the plug. I think if they could back him during this window, get him a couple of players to strengthen the squad and just see how we go over the next couple of months.
“I don’t think there would be any reason to sack him before the end of the season.”
