Watch: Jamie Carragher praises Man Utd for ‘brave’ Erik ten Hag decision
Manchester United are reportedly close to appointing their next manager – and former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher will approve of their decision.
United sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in November 2021 before appointing Ralf Rangnick on an interim basis until the end of the season.
Ajax’s Erik ten Hag was reportedly on a five-man manager shortlist alongside Mauricio Pochettino, Luis Enrique, Julen Lopetegui and Thomas Tuchel.
Pochettino, who is currently in charge of PSG, has been linked with United since 2018 and was initially considered the favourite for the job.
“I think Pochettino has done it in the Premier League,” former United striker Wayne Rooney recently told Sky Sports. “He knows the Premier League and at Tottenham he brought a lot of players through. He did it at Southampton as well.
“If I’m choosing from one of the two, that’s who I’d choose. He would need to be given time to place his blueprint on the club and on the team. If you give him time, I think he’d do well.”
Despite Rooney’s support for Pochettino, United now look set to name Ten Hag as their next permanent manager ahead of next season.
According to ESPN, chief executive Richard Arnold and joint-chairman Joel Glazer are in agreement that Ten Hag is the best candidate.
Carragher, who is part of CBS Sports’ Champions League coverage, reacted to the news and praised United for making a courageous appointment.
“Yeah I think it’s a good decision, I think it’s a brave decision,” the 44-year-old said. “The easy choice would have been Pochettino because he’s been in the Premier League before, so they’ve gone for a manager who’s not been in the Premier League.”
Carragher also suggested that United need to make more brave decisions and offload Cristiano Ronaldo and Paul Pogba in the summer.
Erik ten Hag is expected to join Manchester United at the end of the season from Ajax.@Carra23 thinks he's a "brave" appointment with Mauricio Pochettino a safer choice. pic.twitter.com/jPydyGFtU1
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) April 6, 2022
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