Liverpool defender-turned-pundit Jamie Carragher revealed the 10-word comment he made to Gary Neville about former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag after interviewing him two games into his Old Trafford career.
The Dutchman was relieved of his duties by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS-led team after a controversial 2-1 league defeat to West Ham United at the end of October 2024, which featured a referee decision that PGMOL chief Howard Webb later claimed was a mistake.
In 2023/24, he guided the club to a 13th-placed finish, their worst of the Premier League era, but clung on to his job – despite the new-looking ownership sounding out prospective replacements – by virtue of winning the FA Cup against Manchester City.
Ten Hag rode his luck for some time, but the narrow loss in east London was the straw that broke the camel’s back. During his time in charge of the Premier League giants, he was perennially questioned over his confused tactics and lack of charm.
And Carragher, who played 727 times for the Merseysiders during his playing career, has now revealed – in his column for The Telegraph – what his first impressions were of the man who had swapped Amsterdam for Manchester in the summer of 2022.
He wrote: “The most successful have an aura and personality. Only those working in the same environment can offer a first-hand account of how the manager operates behind the scenes, but for those of us on the outside looking in, perceptions matter.”
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Prefacing his comment by suggesting that he didn’t want to dwell on the club’s previous shortcomings as the club are now entering a fresh, exciting era under boss Ruben Amorim, Carragher highlighted Ten Hag’s ‘red flag’, which was evident from day one.
Two outings into his 128-game stewardship, a 2-1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion on the opening weekend and a 4-0 loss to Brentford, the two Sky Sports pundits sat down with Manchester United’s boss, who was attempting to find his feet.
Carragher has suggested that, albeit a polite guy, the Dutchman lacked what was needed to transform a club the size and stature of the Old Trafford-based outfit – and that was a sense of x-factor. Reflecting on his thoughts, the former defender wrote:
“Driving away from the meeting that day, I turned to Gary and said: ‘He must be a supercoach because there isn’t much charisma.’”
Bootle-born Carragher claims his reservations over the former Red Devils boss were based on his prior experiences with some of the greatest managers of all time, such as Sir Alex Ferguson, Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, all of whom are considered to be some of the greatest managers in Premier League history.
“The best can charm an audience, whether that is speaking to one or two reporters, 75,000 spectators or 24 talented and highly confident young footballers who will turn up for the first training session thinking: ‘Go on then, inspire me!’ Ten Hag never convinced anyone he had that spark.”
In terms of Amorim, Carragher’s first impressions were seemingly a little more positive. Ahead of the current manager’s first game in charge of Man United, he said:
“First impressions count and Amorim is ticking the right boxes before the first ball is kicked. Obviously, he will be judged on Manchester United’s results, but managing a club of such stature demands more than top-class coaching ability.”
In a footballing sense, however, Amorim’s debut season was poor, as United ended the season trophyless, with a dismal 15th-place finish in the league. As for Ten Hag, he has now found a new club, taking charge of Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2025.
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