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Gabby Agbonlahor has laughed off Erik ten Hag's suggestion that the Manchester United manager is the second-best in the Premier League. The Dutch coach recently spoke about his record at Old Trafford and pointed to winning two trophies in as many years since his appointment in July 2022.
Ten Hag spoke about his team's 'strong position.' He highlighted wins against Manchester City and Liverpool, pointing out that his troops can beat the opposition more than once. He said (via The Times):
"This club didn’t win trophies, before I came, for six years. In two years, after (Pep) Guardiola, we won the most trophies in English football. We're in a strong position. We can beat every opponent, more than once against (Man City) and Liverpool."
Agbonlahor and his fellow talkSPORT presenter interpreted Ten Hag's comments as the Dutch coach suggesting he's only second to Guardiola in the Premier League ranking of managers. The former Aston Villa striker responded on the UK radio station by listing Manchester United's dismal records last season:
"Where do you start? Some of his interviews after games were delusional weren't they. But, Manchester United finished eighth, their lowest top flight finish in over 30 years, they conceded 83 goals last season, the highest in their history."
They were just two of several poor records Agbonlahor read out to tackle Ten Hag's assessment of the Red Devils' current state. He acknowledged the Red Devils' unlikely 2-1 win against City in the FA Cup final:
"Just stats. That's all he brings... I will give them credit, in that final they played very well, they looked like an organized team for once... But, It's like you said, papering over the cracks."
Ten Hag was heavily expected to be sacked after the FA Cup final, regardless of the result. Manchester United's new co-owners, INEOS, conducted an end-of-season review and eventually opted to continue with the Dutchman. He signed a one-year contract extension to end speculation about his future.
"One of Europe's top coaches" - Dan Ashworth reaffirmed Manchester United's faith in Ten Hag
Ten Hag is working in a new structure at Manchester United following INEOS' arrival. He's been given the title 'head coach' and given up some recruitment responsibilities with a new team in place.
That includes new sporting director Dan Ashworth, who arrived earlier this month after leaving Newcastle United. The English director spoke about the Red Devis' decision to continue with Ten Hag when speaking to the club's official website:
"Our first big decision of the summer was to extend Erik ten Hag’s contract as men’s first-team manager to June 2026, reflecting our strong belief in him as one of Europe’s top coaches, and the partner we want to continue working with to get the team back to the levels expected."
Manchester United finished eighth in the Premier League last season, losing 14 of their 38 games. They crashed out of the UEFA Champions League in the group stages, finishing bottom of their group.
However, Ten Hag's masterminding of an FA Cup final win against City convinced INEOS to keep him in charge. They were also impressed by his use of youth, with Alejandro Garnacho, 20, and Kobbie Mainoo, 19, shining under him.
