'It's not a coaching problem' Manchester United fans speak to Pulse on Erik Ten Hag succeeding Solskjaer, Mourinho, others

Following the official announcement of Erik Ten Hag as Manchester United's new manager, fans of the club in a conversation with Pulse revealed that the challenges bedevilling the club may be beyond a managerial change.

Two days before Ten Hag's official appointment, United were thrashed 4-0 at Anfield by title-chasing Liverpool in a Premier League encounter.

It was the club's ninth Premier League defeat of the season, and fourth, in their last seven games across competitions.

Already, the club is turning their aspirations to next season as being knocked out of both the Carabao Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League means they will be left without a trophy at the end of the season. The only hope for a title will be if they can magically catch up with Premier League leaders Manchester City and Liverpool, with less than six league games to go.

In the conversation with Pulse, Priscilla Okorie an investment analyst and long-time fan of the Red Devils revealed that bringing in the Dutchman might after all, not be the solution.

"I don't think it's a coaching problem. The players need to be sold. Except for some exceptional ones, others don't play like they want to win," she said. 

"I think Ronaldo should leave. For his career's sake and his sanity. Those boys? They don't play like they want to win anything.

Except Erik is allowed to sell whoever he doesn't want in his team, they probably will still have the same result."

For Tomiwo Ojo, a data analyst and digital content specialist, the new boss Ten Hag may bring something different to the team, something Ralf Rangnick, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Jose Mourinho, Louis Van Gaal, and David Moyes all struggled to do.

"Man United need to rebuild - yes, I know we've said the same thing about every coach since SAF [Sir Alex Ferguson] left. Ten Hag may not be Klopp or Pep, but he should be able to challenge them in a couple of years if he gets the players playing the way he wants."

"We expect that he'll bring something different; an identity, a style of play. He's one of the best options available now but he would need time."

While Okorie played scepticism towards things changing at Old Trafford, Pulse editor Izuchukwu Akawor: like Ojo, was highly optimistic, so much, so that he called the coming of the new manager, 'the smoothest transition post-Fergie.'

"On paper, Ralf to Ten Hag will be the smoothest transition we have made post-Fergie. He could make a huge difference," Akawor said.

United have struggled to make an impact in both the Premier League, and Europe since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013.

Despite enduring a mixed relationship with the United fan base, Mourinho was the last manager to win a trophy with the Red Devils, post-Ferguson, after clinching the EFL Cup and the Europa League back in 2016/17. 

Since the start of the 2017/18 campaign, United have had silverware elude them: having suffered defeats in the 2017/18 FA Cup final and 2020/21 Europa League final. They, however, succeeded in clinching a top-four finish in three of the following four seasons.

Going into the final weeks of the 2021/22 season, while desperately searching for a positive end, the Red Devils were forced to let Solskjaer go with the hope that temporary boss Ralf Rangnick could do some magic.

But after weeks of frustration with performances under Rangnick, the task of returning the team to glory days will be handed into the arms of Dutchman Erik ten Hag.

ALSO READ: Erik Ten Hag will end up like his predecessors if the culture at Manchester United does not change

Ten Hag's supposed revival, however, can only start next season.