Former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel has said that Erik ten Hag deserves to be given time to turn things around at Old Trafford amid the uncertainty surrounding his future.
The 20-time English champions have lost eight of their opening 15 matches of the 2023-24 campaign, which is their worst start to a season since 1962-63.
Back-to-back home 3-0 losses to Manchester City and Newcastle United have led to suggestions that Ten Hag could lose his job as head coach.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who is preparing to purchase 25% of the Red Devils, has allegedly already decided that he wants to replace the Dutchman with Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Roberto De Zerbi.
However, Schmeichel, who is one of the greatest goalkeepers in the club's history, has said that the "players have to step up", insisting that now is the time to back the manager.
© Reuters
"At times it looks like there are certain players who play with some players and not others. Players have to step up, there's no doubt about that," the ex-stopper told BBC Sport.
"We can talk about ownership of a football club and management of a football club, but the people doing the job on the pitch are the most important ones.
"They have to go out there and fight. Against Newcastle, you just wondered where they were mentally. The minimum you can do is run and fight, but at times it's not even happening.
"It needs a change in mentality and approach to everything and that is something the manager has got to help players with. Is he a very strict manager? Is he running a very disciplined dressing room?
© Reuters
"I don't know about that. But if he is, loosen the grip a little bit. Make the players feel better because it's all about them now. This is the time where we stand united and support the manager and let him get through this period.
"We already tried and have gone through [David] Moyes, [Louis] van Gaal, [Jose] Mourinho, [Ole Gunnar] Solskjaer, [Ralf] Rangnick, [Ryan] Giggs and [Michael] Carrick as caretaker managers. None of it helped. We never won the Premier League since Sir Alex [Ferguson] left.
"Some of those managers will claim they had big results but they never developed the club and moved it forward. Deep down, this is a result of that we are seeing now.
"It's a really big job Erik has on his hands, but if we love Manchester United we have to come in and support him. Against Newcastle our own fans were singing, 'You're getting sacked in the morning'. That isn't great. That's not how you support Manchester United."
Man United will be aiming to bounce back from their successive defeats to Man City and Newcastle when they head to Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.
Matt Law
