Larry Ryan: Blurred lines make it hard to solve Manchester United riddle

The latest version of football’s eternal riddle: the manager is the right man for the long term as long as he gets it right in the short term.

RIGHT MAN?: Manchester United's manager Erik ten Hag reacts at the end of the English League Cup fourth round football match between Manchester United and Newcastle United at Old Trafford. (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

In considering the ongoing crisis at Manchester United, a famous Tony Adams line comes to mind: “Players play, managers manage and the board… eh… boards.” I suppose this was the kind of clarity that enabled big Tone to throw his head in among the flying boots even if the directors weren’t ‘releasing the purse-strings’ or ‘showing enough ambition’.

This division of labour was clean, at least, even if some players probably fancy doing more managing and boarding than others.