Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has bemoaned the limited time Premier League coaches are afforded to turn around periods of poor form after Chelsea sacked Graham Potter.
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The London side sacked their head coach on Sunday only six months after Potter was lured from Brighton.
The axe fell on Potter after Chelsea’s 2-0 defeat by Aston Villa on Saturday. Another below-par display left the West Londoners 11th in the Premier League & almost certainly out of the race for Champions League qualification.
But there has been a huge degree of sympathy among Potter’s colleagues given that he was working amid turbulence at Stamford Bridge. “You never get the time,” said United manager Ten Hag.
“You know you have to get results, top football is about results, you have to accept it and, in the meantime, you have to work on the process.”
Potter became the 12th top-flight manager to lose their job this season – a record for any campaign since the league’s inception since 1992. Ten Hag – who joined United last summer – is now the league’s ninth longest-serving manager.
Ten Hag’s side host Brentford on Wednesday. United were thrashed 4-0 in the reverse fixture and seemed destined for a disappointing campaign, while Ten Hag’s job looked precarious.
But, the former Ajax manager has turned the club’s season around and they seemed destined to finish in the top four. That is despite a recent downturn in form that was compounded by the defeat at Newcastle.
Asked if Eriksen was ready to face former club Brentford, Ten Hag said: “Not for tomorrow but he’s returning on the pitch. He’s returning into team training today, so we have to see now how quickly he can make the progress.”
“Two quality players,” Ten Hag said of the midfield duo. “The midfield department, games will always be decided in midfield, when you miss two quality players, it’s clear. But you have a squad, if you don’t have them you still have to win.”
