By The Telegraph (World News) | Created at 2024-09-30 15:50:43 | Updated at 2024-09-30 23:42:48
7 hours ago
Manchester United suffered a 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on Sunday, leaving the Red Devils in the bottom half of the Premier League after six matches of the new campaign.
Here we take an in-depth look at Erik ten Hag’s future at the Theatre of Dreams and what has gone wrong for United so far this term.
Writing on the wall?
Cast your mind back to the end of the previous top-flight season and rumours were rife that Erik ten Hag was set to be sacked.
The FA Cup final victory over bitter local rivals Manchester City seemed to have saved the Dutchman. Now questions about him are being raised again after three defeats in six Premier League games.
Two of the losses have come at Old Trafford – both crushing 3-0 blows by top-four aspirants Liverpool and Spurs.
Not much has seemingly changed for United, even with their new signings, and Sunday’s woeful defeat cruelly exposed their problems, with the Red Devils wide open defensively.
Ten Hag now has a big week coming up, with away matches at Porto and Aston Villa, and big pressure on the club to get some better results.
Despite an FA Cup and a League Cup to his name since taking over at the club, his Premier League record has not been up to scratch. The Red Devils finished eighth last season.
It seems as though the writing is on the wall for the manager if results do not improve and the United supporters that were giving him time are growing increasingly fed up with his stint.
Where has it all gone wrong?
There have been plenty of positives throughout his time at the club, but every good step forwards has often been followed by a major setback just weeks later.
Bruno Fernandes’ red card on Sunday was the latest catastrophe. His sending-off just before half-time all but condemned United to defeat.
The Portuguese midfielder will now miss three matches, and that absence could prove to be pivotal come the final points tally at the end of the campaign.
A failure to finish chances by finding a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo as striker has been another problem.
Joshua Zirkzee has struggled to convert since coming in, while Rasmus Hojlund remains injury-stricken and inconsistent.
Marcus Rashford had a very poor 2023-24 season and eventually was dropped from the England squad for the European Championships.
The inability of Ten Hag to get his side a regular goalscorer has cost him and could be a major reason for United to look elsewhere.
Alongside this, Casemiro has suffered a decline in central midfield, with a consistent defensive partner for youngster Kobbie Mainoo becoming difficult to find.
There are some big prices floating around if you expect United’s current predicament to continue, with Porto 2/1 to beat the Red Devils on Thursday.
And Aston Villa are 11/10 for victory at the weekend, with the West Midlanders flying high in the top five of the league after a strong start.
Odds, correct at the time of publication, are subject to change.
