Erik ten Hag: Recent history suggests Man United boss is running out of time at the club

Erik ten Hag will have to turn the fortunes of Manchester United around sooner than later, if the club’s recent patterns with managers is anything to go by.

The Red Devils’ 2023/24 campaign has not started the way fans would have wanted, as they have already lost three Premier League games.

Sections of pundits have already ruled United out of the title race, while in the Champions League, things are also looking slightly bleak after an opening defeat to Bayern Munich.

To say United are in a rut would be an understatement as Ten Hag is battling issues both on and off the pitch so early in the season.

As cited on Manchester Evening News, Ten Hag lacks his top players for different reasons.

Several big names are sidelined with injury, while winger Antony is still on leave as he sorts out domestic abuse allegations.

Jadon Sancho, meanwhile, remains exiled by the club amid an ongoing feud with Ten Hag, who wants an apology from the winger before reintegrating him back into the squad.

Combine all this with the fact that United are hardly getting results on the pitch, and one gets to see just how much the club is in shambles.

Will Ten Hag get sacked?

Ten Hag managed a third-place finish in his first season with Manchester United, something which was impressive in its own right.

But a club of United’s magnitude tends to have lofty demands in terms of targets for the season, and Ten Hag could find himself having to answer some difficult questions if results fail to go his way.

Four defeats in all competitions so early on in the season is likely to ring alarm bells, especially with how United has handled managers with a poor run of form in the past.

According to TalkSport, Jose Mourinho was sacked in the 2018/19 season after his side won just seven of their opening 17 matches.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was dismissed in 2021 after recording a torrid stat of losing five out of their last seven Premier League games.

Further back in time, United dismissed David Moyes after the gaffer recorded six defeats at home. An FA Cup defeat to Swansea proved to be the final straw.