Former Black Stars forward Kevin-Prince Boateng has expressed doubts about Manchester United coach Erik Ten Hag’s competence and ability to manage a club of United’s stature.
According to the former Tottenham forward, he believes it’s time for Manchester United to part ways with Ten Hag and seek a coach with the necessary knowledge and experience to guide the club.
Boateng made these remarks during an appearance on Rio Ferdinand’s ‘Vibe with Five’ podcast.
The AC Milan cult hero pointed to Ten Hag’s handling of the Ronaldo situation and what he perceived as a lack of passion at Manchester United as key reasons behind his belief that the Dutch coach should be relieved of his duties.
In particular, Kevin-Prince Boateng criticised Ten Hag’s decision to allow Ronaldo to leave the club, as he viewed Ronaldo as the team’s best player and the most dependable source of goals.
He also voiced his disapproval of Ten Hag’s management of the Sancho situation, suggesting that such issues should be handled privately.
“I think he’s gotta go because there is no energy. What he did to Ronaldo and stuff—I think there is too much stuff. He’s not on the level to coach United. Even if the team is not the best still there is still no fire. You come to Old Trafford and there is no passion and fire and if my players don’t do that, as a coach, I have to do that.
“He was your top scorer and you just kick him out. He goes against the best player on the team; you don’t do that. There are ways to let players off and I think he chose the wrong way. I think you are wrong because you don’t have to put it out there. It looks so bad for the club, Ten Hag and Sancho. It’s too negative,” he said.
Under the guidance of Erik Ten Hag, Manchester United has encountered a challenging start to the 2023–2024 season, recording four losses and three wins in seven Premier League matches. Their performance in the Champions League has also been underwhelming, with consecutive losses in their opening two games against Bayern Munich and Galatasaray.
In the same interview, Kevin Prince Boateng also shared details of how he turned down an offer from Arsenal during his teenage years.