Gary Neville believes Manchester United's treatment of Donny van de Beek could hinder their move for Erik ten Hag.
The Red Devils have an offer on the table for the Ajax boss after a series of meetings with the Dutchman. Reports claim Ten Hag is stalling over his decision as RB Leipzig attempt to hijack United's proposal.
Ten Hag has reservations over how much control he will have on the recruitment front and wants to have a say on their rebuild this summer. The Old Trafford club squad requires major surgery after a dismal season as their hopes of finishing in the top four rapidly diminish.
United will need to have more success in the transfer market than they have in recent years with several big-name players failing to hit the mark. Van de Beek is one player who is in that category and has been a massive flop since joining from Ajax.
The midfielder was frozen out of the side during the first half of the season before eventually joining Everton on loan until the end of the season in January. Many feel his treatment was unwarranted as he deserved a chance to showcase his talents, especially given the struggles of United's first-team players this term.
And Neville wouldn't be surprised if Ten Hag was on the phone with Van de Beek, who played under the Ajax boss, to ask about what's it like at Old Trafford - a viewpoint which would likely make him think twice about the job.
Speaking on his Sky Sports podcast following the draw between Manchester City and Liverpool on Sunday, Neville said: "I read this morning that Erik ten Hag wants all these demands met or else he won’t come to the club. You imagine [what will happen] if in the next week or 10 days they can’t get Ten Hag over the line because of what’s happening at the club and how bad the club is and the state that the club is in.
"You look at what Manchester United are doing to players currently, there isn’t a player that has grown really. Look at what they did to Van de Beek, and if you’re Ten Hag I think you’re on the phone to Van de Beek and you’re asking, ‘What’s it like there Donny?’ He isn’t going to be saying anything good, is he?
"So I suspect that Ten Hag’s demands – not financial demands but control, recruitment, structure, youth – are about not being exposed to what other managers have been exposed to in this last 10 years. And that may be too much for Manchester United, and I suspect they’ve got maybe a difficult week or two. I still think they may get it over the line, but the reports this morning were such that Erik ten Hag’s demands are maybe going above and beyond."
Neville reckons he'll be seeking advice from Ralf Rangnick as well and if the pair give an honest verdict, it's not going to flatter his former club. The pundit continued: "If you're Ralf Rangnick reporting into Ten Hag and answering him honestly, which I suspect he will be, and if you're Van de Beek answering him honestly, which I suspect he will be, and we know Edwin van der Sar is over there [at Ajax] who will be speaking to Ten Hag honestly.
"They’ll be saying, ‘Be very careful, be very careful about going to Manchester United’ because it can be a graveyard at this moment in time for reputations. Ralf Rangnick came in with an incredible reputation, and he still has that reputation, but he’s now starting to be wounded by what’s happening around him and he looks weaker and more vulnerable on the touchline because of the performances of the players on the pitch that are nothing to do with him.
"And I have to say that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is a good man, those players liked him, and they turned him over! So it’s a really difficult position for the club to be in, I feel at this moment like most Manchester United fans don’t know where to turn next or what’s going to happen."
