Paul Merson has told Manchester United that they should have appointed Graham Potter instead of Erik ten Hag. The former Arsenal midfielder believes that the recently-appointed Chelsea boss is a better option to the Dutchman, claiming that the Red Devils made a mistake by missing out on him.
Prior to penning a bumper five-year deal at Stamford Bridge, Potter impressed at Brighton and Hove Albion in the opening fixtures of the new Premier League season. The new Blues boss guided his former side to fourth in the table, leaving the Seagulls just two points behind league leaders Arsenal before swapping the south coast for west London.
Despite a rocky start to life at Old Trafford, Ten Hag has led United to fifth in the table and looks to have steadied the ship. But, in his latest column for SportsKeeda, Merson is insistent that the Red Devils made a mistake by not going for Potter instead.
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The former Arsenal midfielder wrote: "I think it was a really strange decision to sack Tuchel, but Graham Potter is a manager I really like. Working at this level is a different ball game, but Potter has shown in his time with Swansea City and Brighton that he’s more than capable of creating teams that can go toe-to-toe with the best in the business.
"I’ve said before that Manchester United should have got him ahead of Erik ten Hag and I stand by that statement," Merson added. "But he’s set to take over the reins at Stamford Bridge now, and it’ll be interesting to see how it turns out."
With Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's funeral taking place at Westminster Abbey on Monday, September 19, there is growing doubt as to whether Stamford Bridge will welcome Liverpool to west London the day before.
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to continue visiting the capital in the coming days so it would present a sizeable task for the police, with Brentford versus Arsenal also scheduled for the same weekend.
In the meantime, Potter is set to lock horns with Ten Hag on October 22, before travelling to Old Trafford for the reverse fixture in April. Then, maybe, Merson will see whether his prediction is right.
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