As Old Trafford began to empty at an alarming rate, there was a sense the end could be on the horizon for Erik ten Hag.
After a 3-0 humbling to local rivals Manchester City at the weekend, Manchester United were again left battered, bruised and bereft as Newcastle United beat the Red Devils by the same scoreline in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup clash.
Results and performances are at an all-time low under Ten Hag’s tenure. Man Utd sit eighth in the Premier League table, are out of the Carabao Cup and their Champions League qualification is in jeopardy after two defeats from their opening three matches in Europe.
While there is plenty going on behind the scenes and above Ten Hag’s head, the former Ajax coach can no longer be excused for Man Utd’s dismal efforts.
As pressure continues to mount on the beleaguered Man Utd boss, questions over his future have inevitably been raised. The 53-year-old, for the first time since arriving at Old Trafford, has faced serious questions marks over his future in the job.
However, 90min understands Man Utd have no plans to part ways with their coach just yet. Whether out of fear, desperation or belief, the club are willing to stick with Ten Hag in the hope he can turn the tide at Old Trafford.
How long this faith lasts remains to be seen, with results and performances needing drastic improvement quickly. The Red Devils have lost eight of their 15 matches this term already, sitting in a perilous position heading into the hectic winter period.
Pundit and club icon Gary Neville has hinted at the possibility of Ten Hag getting the sack, having previously pointed fingers at everyone but the Dutch coach.
Speaking on social media, he stated: “On the pitch the players in shock, the performances woeful and a manager struggling in front of our eyes. We’ve seen it before, we know how it ends and we’ve had enough.”
With patience running thin, the Man Utd hierarchy could look for a short-term fix should performances and results not pick up. That would likely signal the end of the Ten Hag era at Old Trafford.
One obvious reason why Man Utd may choose to stick with Ten Hag is for financial reasons. Given he has a contract with the club until 2025 and is on a handsome £9m-a-year salary, it would take some serious financial muscle to remove him from the dugout.
In fact, it would cost a club-record £15m to part ways with Ten Hag, a sizeable pay-off that the club’s hierarchy may not be willing to sanction, especially with no obvious replacement in mind.
If United were to fire Ten Hag now, it would mean they had spent £53m on sacking coaches since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure in 2013 – more than they spent on Andre Onana this summer.
Since Ferguson left Man Utd in 2013 after almost 27 years at the club, the Red Devils have appointed five permanent managers, with Ten Hag the most recent hire back in 2022.
David Moyes was Ferguson’s immediate successor, someone that the famous Man Utd coach had earmarked as a perfect replacement upon his retirement, However, things didn’t go to plan. The current West Ham United boss lasted just under a year, sacked before the end of the 2013/14 campaign.
Veteran Louis van Gaal was the next permanent appointment, lasting just under two years at the helm, followed by the divisive Jose Mourinho, who managed approximately two-and-a-half years in charge.
Former club hero Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is the man who enjoyed the longest reign at Old Trafford after Ferguson, managing just shy of three years in the Old Trafford dugout.
Ten Hag has been in charge for just over a year now, but it’s difficult to imagine him lasting longer than Solskjaer if performances and results don’t improve quickly. Man Utd have been willing to pull the trigger on managers in the past and precedent suggests Ten Hag could be running out of time.
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