Man United should sack Erik ten Hag and hand over the job to ‘best manager ever’ Steve McClaren, suggest Paul Scholes and Michael Owen, who claim the Dutchman has frozen out his number 2.

Manchester United must sack Erik ten Hag and put Steve McLaren in goalkeeper role for the rest of the season, according to former players Paul Scholes and Michael Owen.

The pair were speaking after Manchester United’s dismal 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on Monday night.

Ten Hag’s future is in serious doubt after a poor season, with the Red Devils sitting eighth in the table with three tough games to play, as well as an FA Cup final where they will be considerable underdogs against local rivals Manchester City.

Scholes said the defeat felt like the “final nail in the coffin” for Ten Hag and that the Dutchman was on “borrowed time” at Old Trafford.

He told Premier League Productions: “Tonight was almost like a final nail in the coffin. There was a lack of skill in the team, a lack of effort, going to a team like Crystal Palace who are a good team and doing well, but Manchester United shouldn’t go there and make 4- 0.

Paul Scholes and Michael Owen believe Erik ten Hag (left) should be sacked and replaced until the end of the season by Steve McLaren (right)

This comes after United’s humiliating 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace, which leaves them eighth in the table.

Owen and Scholes have said that McLaren is the best manager they have ever worked with as players and feel he does not “touch” the current United squad despite being Ten Hag’s assistant.

“I thought for a while he might get another year and work for a club that has calmed down a bit thanks to the new owners, but that’s not the case now.

“I wondered who could replace him? With Thomas Tuchel saying he is leaving Bayern Munich, I don’t think it creates a bigger problem for him (Ten Hag) because the problems are there anyway, I think it’s pretty clear to see that he is on probation.

“Sometimes you have these moments where you think it’s the end. I remember Ole Gunnar (Solskjaer) at Watford away, 4-1, it felt a lot like me, it felt like the end.

As well as the cup final with Manchester City, United will face Arsenal and Newcastle at home before finishing the Premier League season at Brighton.

Scholes admitted he couldn’t see where United would secure a victory in their final three league matches.

Owen then raised the question of what United should do and agreed with Scholes’ response that former England manager and current Old Trafford assistant McLaren should take on an interim manager role until the end of the season.

Scholes previously worked with McLaren at Manchester United when he was assistant to Sir Alex Ferguson, while Owen played under him for the Three Lions.

McLaren is perhaps best remembered for his time as England manager and for the photo of him standing under an umbrella, as he watched his team lose to Croatia at Wembley, meaning that the Three Lions failed to qualify for Euro 2008 and led to his dismissal. .

Owen and Scholes fear United will miss out on Europe and be humiliated by Manchester City if they do not press charges urgently.

Scholes said defeat to Palace felt like ‘final nail in the coffin’ for Ten Hag as United boss

However, Owen and Scholes believe McLaren is not to blame for United’s struggles this season and believe he has been left out by Ten Hag.

Owen said: “There is no way his fingerprints could be anywhere near this team. He is a brilliant coach and this team is not coached at all.

Scholes added: “He’s not touching this team. The manager must not let him touch this team because everyone thinks we were a big team that attacked everyone (Manchester United), but Steve McLaren organized sessions to make sure we stopped other teams, getting the right distances and angles.

Both players later said that McLaren was the best manager they worked under during their respective playing careers.

Owen added: “He has no chance of having anything to do with this team’s training, it’s impossible because this team has absolutely no idea about any of this.”

“There is not a single thing that I think ‘works’ in this team. Steve McLaren is a top operator and I can only think that there are other people coaching the team and that he is a spectator.

McLaren is remembered for standing under his aegis when his England team lost to Croatia at Wembley in 2007 and failed to qualify for the 2008 European Championships.

“They will be knocked out of the stadium by every team they have yet to play, playing like this today. Manchester City are going to demoralize them at Wembley in front of millions of people, it’s embarrassing.

“Something has to change. I think that needs to change now that there are too many big matches. It could decide European football next season, it’s a trophy.

Scholes continued to lash out further at Ten Hag by suggesting the club don’t have many ‘bad players’ and the fault lies with the manager.

He said: “There aren’t really many bad players at United, are there? It looks like they are not coached, when it seems to be the manager’s fault. It looks like they can’t fight anymore.