Erik ten Hag: Treatment of Marc Overmars a disgrace

Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag has defended disgraced Marc Overmars after his ban for sending inappropriate messages to women.

Overmars, who worked with Ten Hag at Ajax as the director of football affairs, received a one-year ban from Dutch football for sending inappropriate messages, but is now working in Belgian as Royal Antwerp’s director of football.

“I stand firm that I find it a disgrace the way Marc Overmars has been treated,’ Ten Hag said. “The departure of Marc Overmars killed Ajax at the time. And from club perspective it was really stupid to throw him under the bus straight away.”

Ten Hag was asked about Overmars in an interview with Dutch publication VI, during which he also accused ex-Manchester United players of using him as “easy prey” to keep jobs as pundits.

Ten Hag, ahead of the FA Cup final, insisted the likes of Paul Scholes, Rio Ferdinand and Roy Keane are looking to stay employed when they analyse his United team.

“The pundits in England want to score, they want to show they are worth the money, and for that Manchester United is an easy prey,’ Ten Hag said. “It’s the biggest club in England and possibly in the world. The club is either loved or hated, there is no in-between.

“So when things go bad, they all start talking and talking with very big words. All this negativity from these so-called experts who don’t have the capability to analyse something with facts, but who prefer to attack people to make themselves look better.

“And these same people were the ones who gave me a pat on the back last year. Last year I was able to walk on water, this year I am the worst manager in the Premier League.”

Ten Hag also insisted the expectations on United have not been realistic, considering their rivals’ quality and their track record since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement. He says the critics have “no sense of reality”.

“Manchester United won the league for the last time in 2013, 11 years ago,’ Ten Hag said. “But still they expect us to win every game while competing at the top. This club is not ready for that.

“We were supposed to start building something and we made the first steps last year, but then you find out how big this club is and that nobody is ever satisfied. Within the club people were satisfied, but outside the club there was noise by saying I won only the Carabao Cup, lost the FA Cup Final and became 3rd.”

“Let me be clear. It has been bad. It has been c---. Despite everything, we are going to play an FA Cup final.”