Bryan Robson says 'managers should be given three years' as pressure builds on Erik Ten Hag
Bryan Robson sat down with Chris Hall to talk about his new business that aims to offer financial help to sports stars, his time with Sir Alex Ferguson and his take on the current state of Manchester United
Former Manchester United Captain and fan-favourite Bryan Robson says he believes managers should be given three years to prove themselves in the job.
Speaking to ITV Granada, Captain Marvel, as he was affectionately known, said the club's current manager Erik Ten Hag has done a 'solid job'.
Robson managed the likes of Middlesbrough, West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield United after his playing career ended in 1997.
He said: "Being a manager, I think you always need three years. After three years you can say I've put a bit of my authority and stamp on the team. It will be interesting to see if the hierarchy do that."
It comes as the Dutchman's future hangs in the balance following United's near-implosion in the FA Cup semi final against Coventry at the weekend.
Erik Ten Hag's side let a three goal lead slide in a chaotic 20 minutes at Wembley, before sparing some of the blushes by winning on penalties to tee up a repeat of last year's final against Manchester City.
It was just the latest in a string of poor performances and late collapses, with some fans now calling for the Dutchman to be sacked.
United's former number seven said: "Last year i thought he did very well - two cup finals, winning a cup, finishing in the top four, that was great.
"I think he's had a really unfair year as far as injuries have been concerned. He's coped with it, he hasn't really made that an excuse. It's difficult to get a really good understanding with your team mates if it's changing all the time because of injuries.
However, Robson, who played more than 340 times for United, admitted that results haven't been good enough.
"It's not where Manchester United want to be, we want to be in the Champions League, we want to be winning trophies. It's a big one for him the FA Cup final against City, we really need to put a good performance in in that game, and if we have that little bit of luck we could win the FA Cup.
"For me he's done a fairly solid job, he keeps his feet on the ground, he doesn't get carried away when the lads get good results. It's going to be an interesting summer to see where we go as a football club."
While still working for the club as an ambassador, the 67-year-old has now started his own business, called High Performance Individuals, to offer better financial advice for young footballers.
He's speaking from experience, after becoming British football's most valuable player, when he swapped West Brom for Manchester United in 1981, earning around £2000 a week.
"You've got to be careful with all the people who want to associate with you.
"I had an accountant at 18, me and him used to go through the finances and he always used to give me good advice."
However, even with that advice, he recalls a number of bad investments.
"Over in Canada I invested into a hotel and the people said it was brilliant, it was in Whistler where the Winter Olympics were held, and the hotel had great publicity. So I invested in that. Three years later they're sending me everything through about the investment, what my unit looked like in the hotel.
"When I decided to draw my money out, there wasn't even a hotel!"
"In today's world agents advise players, mams and dads, brothers and sisters get involved. They just have to be careful to understand what they're going into as well.
"We put a financial plan together for them. It's really important that they understand everything around the package. It's about benefit in kind, do they have the right tax code, can they afford a mortgage, can they afford the car they're trying to buy."
Despite huge wages, many high profile players have filed for bankruptcy.
Former United defender Wes Brown and Liverpool midfielder Craig Bellamy have both recently found themselves in such a position.
Speaking to ITV's Chris Hall, Robson said: "It's because people have not done anything about it, you see another story in the papers that another player has gone bankrupt. They club's try to look after players. Over the years I think the PFA, the Premier League should have done a little bit more on the pitfalls they have to look out for."
That care for the next generation has also been called upon at Carrington. Before his move to Borussia Dortmund, England star Jude Bellingham visited Old Trafford, with the club vying for his signature.
"I got a phone call from the club to say Jude Bellingham was over.
"Sir Alex had already met him and his mum and dad. Eric Cantona was there with me, we walked around the training ground, had a good chat, a good chat with his mum and dad.
"When he left we thought we'd done a good job, he looked really keen... and then he signed for Dortmund, it was a bit of a blow!
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