Gary Neville has pinpointed his biggest fear for Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag when making his Premier League title prediction for the 2022/2023 campaign.
Change is coming at Old Trafford and beyond after Ten Hag stepped into the line of duty on Monday as he diverts attentions to a summer rebuild and, ultimately, turning fortunes around on-field. United and their momentary push for the title last season was left in tatters by the November internationals.
After delaying such action, key figures in the United boardroom eventually handed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer his P45 as Ralf Rangnick was sworn in as interim manager. He was unable to claim Champions League qualification, though, as the wait for a trophy of any description also extended to five years.
READ MORE: Steve McClaren explains what Erik ten Hag has been doing during his first week
United settled on Ten Hag as their preferred option to replace Solskjaer in the hot-seat, on a permanent basis, and his appointment was confirmed last month. His first proper day at the helm was Monday and came after he guided former club Ajax to a third Eredivisie title under his watch.
That hugely-successful four and a half year spell also brought two KNVB Cup trophies. However, while his pedigree and penchant for winning shines through, former United captain turned Sky Sports pundit Neville is concerned over one, or two, important factors standing in his way at Old Trafford.
Speaking on the latest episode of The Overlap, he said: "My biggest fear for Erik ten Hag is not the job that he'll do, he could do a great job and still not succeed by the fact of them two [Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp]. If them two stay there, it's a real problem."
Neville added: "I wasn't against an interim manager because I thought [in November] that the right manager wasn't available. It went horribly wrong with Ralf Rangnick. You're even questioning him and decisions he's made.
"The reality of it is that it's bigger than that. It's a massive problem. We're all optimistic of a new manager coming in, but I'm very cautious in my optimism, I don't think there's many Man United fans sat thinking 'here we go'. It's almost cautiously optimistic."
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