Paul Merson has highlighted a striking difference between Arne Slot and Erik ten Hag
Paul Merson has pointed to one Liverpool player in particular when showcasing the dramatic difference between Arne Slot and Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag.
Slot and Ten Hag both arrived at Premier League giants directly from two of the biggest clubs in the Netherlands – Feyenoord (Slot) and Ajax (Ten Hag). But while Slot’s start to life at Anfield has been serene, speculation Ten Hag is one match away from being fired is mounting.
When delivering his assessment of this weekend’s fixtures, pundit Paul Merson used Ryan Gravenberch as the perfect indicator of the difference between Slot and Ten Hag.
According to Merson, Gravenberch’s rapid improvement under Slot this season proves Slot can and already has excelled at one of the most basic fundamentals of coaching – improving players.
By contrast, Merson claimed that not a single Man Utd player has improved to the degree Gravenberch has despite the fact Ten Hag is into his third year at the club.
“Ryan Gravenberch has been outstanding for Liverpool,” Merson told Sportskeeda. “Good coaches make players better, that’s exactly what Slot has done with Gravenberch this season.
“He looks a far better player than he was last term. On the contrary, if you look up the road towards Manchester [United] and you really can’t find anyone who has improved as a player under Ten Hag.”
Has Ten Hag really not improved anyone?
While it’s fair to say the list of Man Utd players whose careers have declined over the last two-plus years is longer than the list of stars who’ve excelled, there are a handful of players who have developed.
Kobbie Mainoo in particular fits that billing, with the 19-year-old going from promising prospect to England starter on Ten Hag’s watch.
Elsewhere, Alejandro Garnacho has established himself as a potent threat in the final third and is now courting interest from Barcelona and Juventus.
Cases could be made for Diogo Dalot, Harry Maguire (since being relived of the captaincy) and Amad Diallo all improving too.
Ten Hag may be reliant on several of those stars to save his job, with Sunday’s clash with Aston Villa shaping up to be a pivotal one.
Reports last week claimed Ten Hag had two games to save his job. The first against FC Porto in the Europa League finished 3-3 after United surrendered a two-goal advantage.
High-flying Villa – fresh off sinking Bayern Munich in the Champions League – will pose far greater threat than Porto.
Greenwood blunder / Garnacho transfer truths
Elsewhere, ‘key’ Man Utd officials have reportedly come to the realisation they blundered when selling Mason Greenwood.
The forward is already attracting serious interest from Barcelona following his early exploits with Marseille. Greenwood was sold for £27m and Man Utd chiefs believe he’ll be worth £100m sooner rather than later.
In other news, our transfer insider, Rudy Galetti, has revealed the truth behind speculation Garnacho could be sold by Man Utd.
The Sun claimed United value the winger at the £50m mark amid interest from Barcelona and Juventus. However, Galetti explained Man Utd’s true valuation is £70m-plus. Even if bids of that size were tabled there’s no guarantee Man Utd would cash in, such is the esteem he’s regarded in at Old Trafford.
Finally, we can confirm out-of-work manager Thomas Tuchel is top of Man Ut
