Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag continues to receive the backing from the hierarchy and the next two games against Porto and Aston Villa could decide his future, as per Fabrizio Romano.
The Red Devils suffered a heavy 3-0 Premier League defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. They were second-best for most of the contest and could have easily lost by more goals. Andre Onana made some stellar saves at Old Trafford.
With the loss, the pressure is obviously mounting on ten Hag, considering Man United are languishing 12th in the table and have picked up only 7 points from 6 games. This is their joint-worst start to a Premier League campaign.
Speaking in his Here We Go podcast, Romano has now revealed that the club continue to support ten Hag, but there is ‘pressure growing’. He added that the games against Porto and Villa are crucial for the Dutch head coach.
Make or break
Ten Hag retained his position as United manager after guiding the club to FA Cup glory against Manchester City in May. The club finished a disappointing 8th in the league, but qualified for the Europa League through the FA Cup.
This convinced INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliff to continue with him instead of pursuing a replacement. The Dutchman was backed with a huge spending spree, but things have not gone as planned with United struggling once more in the league.
The club are already 6 points behind the top 4 and face a difficult league game at Villa Park before the internationals. Meanwhile, United are also struggling in Europe with 1 point thus far and face a tricky opponent in Porto on the road.
The Portuguese heavyweights have a 100% record at home this season with 11 goals scored and just 1 conceded and United have their work cut out to beat them on Thursday. Ten Hag may have to deliver at least 1 win to keep his job beyond the break.
If the club were to lose in both outings, the board could opt to part ways with the 54-year-old.
