Erik ten Hag has been told to ‘stop hiding behind the Glazers’ by Tim Sherwood (Photo: Getty / Sky Sports)
Premier League winner Tim Sherwood has blasted Erik ten Hag for dropping two Manchester United stars and attempting to sell two more.
United have been in woeful form this season and ahead of Sunday’s huge clash at Anfield they are sixth in the table, 10 points behind leaders Liverpool.
Many expect the Red Devils to be blown away having put in awful performances in their last two games – defeats to Bayern Munich and Bournemouth – and also due to the large number of injuries and suspensions leaving Ten Hag with limited options.
Nevertheless, Sherwood believes the manager should be doing a lot better with the players available and criticised the Dutchman for not playing two of United’s most promising youngsters.
‘I’m not sure the players know what the process is. I’m sure he [Ten Hag] does if he’s saying there is one,’ the former Blackburn Rovers and Tottenham star said on Sky Sports.
‘He makes all the right noises, he keeps himself very calm and he’s a good talker. He needs to get a performance out of his side because at the moment there’s no style of play. There’s no improving of any individuals.
‘I scratch my head when I look at the boy Hannibal [Mejbri]. A couple of months ago, he got back in the team, was outstanding and left out as soon as a “superstar”, like [Sofyan] Amrabat or whoever, became fit.
In the last … league games, Hannibal Mejbri has played just six minutes (Photo: Getty)
‘Kobbie Mainoo – who was outstanding when he came in – exactly the same has happened to him.’
Hannibal came off the bench to score his first United goal against Brighton in September before playing the full 90 in the next game – a win at Burnley – but since then has played just six minutes of league football and hasn’t even been in the squad for the last three fixtures.
Mainoo returned from a lengthy injury to put in fantastic performance against Everton in November but has made just one more start since then.
Kobbie Mainoo put in a brilliant performance on his first start for Man Utd (Photo: Getty)
Sherwood went on to criticise Ten Hag’s poor judgement of his squad, referencing the manager’s determination to sell Scott McTominay and Harry Maguire last summer, with the duo arguably United’s best players this season.
‘He’s had two players in Scott McTominay and Maguire who he wanted to get rid of and they’re the two who have really stood up and tried to get him out of the mire,’ he added.
‘He is having a real bad time of it at the moment and they’re getting away with it. You have to stop hiding behind the Glazers, you have to stop hiding behind the training ground, the holes in the roof at Old Trafford.
More: Trending
‘It doesn’t matter. It matters in the long term, but the manager has to do his job and he has to get the best out of the individuals. The Glazers cannot be the scapegoats. It cannot be.
‘When you lose to Bournemouth at home, it’s unacceptable no matter what team you put out. We know they’ve got injuries and they tell us about them all the time. Every single club in the Premier League has got injuries.
‘Keep your mouth shut, work on the training pitch and get them players to perform for that badge. At the moment they’re not.’
MORE : Alisson Becker offers Manchester United advice ahead of Liverpool clash
MORE : Manchester United hero Andy Cole blasts ‘dressing room mole’
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.