Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has slammed English pundits for their treatment of him during a heated interview.
The Dutchman is expected to be sacked after Saturday’s FA Cup final regardless of whether United beat Manchester City or not.
It comes on the back of a turbulent campaign which saw the Red Devils finish eighth in the table, their worst ever Premier League finish.
Former United players such as Rio Ferdinand, Roy Keane, Gary Neville, and Paul Scholes alongside former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher have all criticised Ten Hag’s side during this season
The Dutchman came out swinging to defend himself in an interview with Dutch outlet VI, where he claimed United are ‘an easy prey’ and that pundits ‘attack people to make themselves look better’ and ‘show they are worth the money’
‘The pundits in England want to score, they want to show they are worth the money, and for that Manchester United is an easy prey,’ Ten Hag stated.
‘It’s the biggest club in England and possibly in the world. The club is either loved or hated, there is no in-between.
‘So when things go bad, they all start talking and talking with very big words. All this negativity from these so called experts who don’t have the capability to analyse something with facts, but who prefer to attack people to make themselves look better.
‘And these same people were the ones who gave me a pat on the back last year. Last year I was able to walk on water, this year I am the worst manager in the Premier League.’
Ten Hag previosyly has hit back at Carragher over his ‘subjective’ criticism ofUnited’s pressing follow their loss to Fulham in February.
Mail Sport understands United have spoken to Thomas Tuchel as well as representatives of Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna, also a target for Chelsea.
Mauricio Pochettino and Brentford’s Thomas Frank are among the other contenders, although Pochettino is reluctant to talk to United until he has agreed a pay-off with Chelsea.
The only way United can qualify for European football next season is by beating City, which would earn them a spot in the UEFA Europa League.
After a strong first season in charge after joining from Ajax, which saw Ten Hag guide United to a third place finish in the Premier League and Carabao Cup success, they have slipped backwards.
United’s European campaign was over by Christmas after they finished bottom of a group featuring Bayern Munich, Copenhagen and Galatasaray, while Newcastle knocked them out the Carabao Cup.
In the FA Cup, United defeated Liverpool in the quarter-finals but required penalties to overcome Coventry City in the semi-finals after throwing away a 3-0 lead.
The poor season came after more considerable investment in Ten Hag’s squad with an initial £64million spent on striker Rasmus Hojlund, £55m on midfielder Mason Mount and £43.8m on goalkeeper Andre Onana.
