Gary Neville believes Manchester United fans have put up with some “right guff” over the past few months, meaning this weekend’s FA Cup semi-final against Coventry City is now crucial to the future of boss Erik ten Hag.
United slipped to seventh in the Premier League following Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Bournemouth and have recorded just one win in their last seven league games.
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The fall-out from the game at the Vitality Stadium also saw winger Alejandro Garnacho like some tweets that criticised Ten Hag while the Dutchman himself was accused of storming out of his post-match press conference following a question relating to United’s worst-ever Premier League finish.
It all amounts to a pretty unhappy camp, although a win at Wembley against Championship side Coventry on Sunday may alleviate some of the pressure.
Speaking on the Gary Neville podcast, the former United right-back said: “They have to win next weekend as the season will be over if they don’t and Erik ten Hag has got to look at this season, whereby he could finish his first two seasons with two trophies in the bank, one in each season.
“That should never be sniffed at. There’s nothing left to say about some of the league performances we’re seeing and some of the things we’re watching – the tweets and the likes – we’ve said it so many times before and there’s no point going over that again.
“But what we can say is that Erik ten Hag’s future is largely dependent on the FA Cup, as their performances in the league are gone they are not going to change now. What we are seeing is how they will finish the season. It seems like the players have switched off away from home at times.
“At home they have to turn on as there’s 75,000 people who won’t allow them to get away with it. The Man United fans, they never stop away from home and they are watching some really dodgy stuff.
“They never turn against the team or manager and they have been dealt with some right guff. But the FA Cup is everything.”
