Manchester United are approaching the point of no return with Erik ten Hag after a disappointing display against Porto in the Europa League.
Mood around Old Trafford is at an all-time low following United’s poor start to the season.
The 3-0 defeat to Tottenham last weekend increased pressure on Ten Hag with the squad booed off the pitch.
Despite the growing animosity, Ten Hag has maintained confidence that the United board will stick with him after they did so in the summer.
Erik ten Hag is running out of time to turn things around at Manchester United
REUTERS
The Dutchman was handed a new two-year contract in July after their shock win over Manchester City in the FA Cup final.
That came after Sir Jim Ratcliffe reportedly interviewed a number of candidates, including Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino.
Both were available at the time with Tuchel having left Bayern Munich and Pochettino sacked by Chelsea.
But Ratcliffe’s decision to stick with Ten Hag has already seen their shortlist of top candidates half with Pochettino taking up the head coach job of the US men’s team.
The Glazers were similarly guilty of sticking with the wrong man for too long and missing out on other options in the process.
They famously messed up an opportunity to snap up Pep Guardiola, who expressed an interest in the Old Trafford job back in 2011.
The Glazers also stuck with Louis van Gaal despite growing backlash from the club’s supporters when Carlo Ancelotti was available before the Italian took up a job with Bayern Munich.
Ratcliffe is now in a similar position with Ten Hag following United’s dramatic 3-3 draw with Porto on Thursday evening.
Manchester United squandered a 2-0 lead
REUTERS
The Red Devils are now four games without a win ahead of a tricky match away to Aston Villa this weekend.
All signs point towards Ten Hag’s time at Old Trafford being up with Tuchel still available.
But United won’t be the only club looking at the German coach and waiting to dismiss Ten Hag could prove costly.
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Sir Jim Ratcliffe has a tough decision to makePA
By sticking with the Dutchman, United also risk digging an even deeper hole with the club in desperate need of a boost.
A win over Villa at the weekend may paper over the cracks, but the current issues are now too entrenched in the club for Ten Hag to fix with just one match.
They’re now at a point of no return in deciding to stick or twist with Ten Hag and going with the latter would not be the popular choice among supporters.