Richard Keys gives his verdict on Manchester United and Newcastle United situations

Some interesting observations from Richard Keys ahead of Manchester United facing Newcastle United on Wednesday night.

The comments coming after an action packed weekend in the Premier League.

Eddie Howe’s side playing out a full on and entertaining 2-2 draw with Wolves.

Whilst Erik ten Hag’s side were humiliated in front of their own fans, Man City absolutely battering their local rivals, it ended 3-0 and could / should have been five or six, such was the away team’s superiority.

As Richard Keys points out, ten Hag has spent massive amounts of money and difficult to see just where it has been spent. Especially when unlike Eddie Howe, he took over a Man U squad that had already had fortunes spent on it.

Richard Keys suggests that Man U might even sack their manager if losing to Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.

Well here’s hoping we are going to see that Newcastle United victory, then sit back and see exactly what the Glazers will then do…

Richard Keys writing on his own personal blog – 30 October 2023:

‘I said recently that Brighton wouldn’t take any of [Man] Utd’s starting X1. I stand by that. Which team would? Certainly not one of the current top four. And here’s another thought – what are the players that ten Hag has bought worth now? Antony? Mount? Onana? Casemiro? Martinez? Dubravka. Even Hojland based on what we’ve seen so far. Would anyone pay £70m for him?

Remember, last summer ten Hag spent a record busting £220m. At the time he said ‘if you want to compete at the top, you don’t have a choice’. At the top? Unless things change dramatically [Man] Utd will do well to finish 8th. If Newcastle beat them in the Carabao Cup this week ten Hag might be lucky to survive. There’s a lot of anger out there now, although the class of ‘92 continue to give him an easy ride. I don’t agree with Jamie Carragher often, but he’s right when he says the guys would‘ve destroyed Mourinho – or similar – by now.

Clearly the job is too big for ten Hag Clearly he’s lost his players. Clearly his ‘game plans’ are nonsense. Does he really believe that [Man] Utd were ‘toe to toe’ with [Man] City in the first-half? Clearly he’s deluded if he does. That was [Man] City’s easiest three points of the season. Brighton made them work harder. And Wolves. Even Sheffield Utd gave them more of a run for their money.

Regarding ten Hag’s point that you’ve got to spend record sums to make the top four. Really? Across two transfer windows Newcastle have spent a little over £200m. Two windows. Again – Ten Hag has spent £410m and taken [Man] Utd nowhere.’

‘So it’s not so much the spend – it’s how you spend. And what sort of atmosphere a coach creates at a club. You can tell that players at Newcastle and Villa would run through brick walls for their coach. That’s not the case at [Man]Utd where the tin pot tough guy has lost his silly fight with Sancho and had to back off from his scandalous treatment of Maguire. Both battles cost him dressing room support.’