Five Manchester United fiascos that will see Erik ten Hag sacked on December 14

The Erik ten Hag sack chat started again after defeat to Brighton but really kicked into gear after yet another humbling for Manchester United by Liverpool.

Whether you think he should be given more time or not, absolutely nobody can truly say they’re convinced he’s the right man for the job. There’s quite simply no proof of that, and we include the two trophies he incessantly bangs on about.

We reckon he’ll be gone before Christmas; more specifically, on December 14. All will become clear.

Here are five key events between now and then that will lead to his sacking.

Manuel Ugarte injury
It’s a signing that has to work out. The £42m midfielder has made a career of running around, eating up ground, putting out fires and playing simple passes to more creative, progressive partners. And by most accounts, he’s very good at it.

What he’s not is a red Rodri, not just because the Manchester City midfielder is well clear of any other player in world football in his position, but because despite them both playing as No.6s, that’s become a hugely varied position as evidenced by it no longer being known as ‘The Makelele role’.

United won’t be getting the touch, vision and creativity of Rodri from Ugarte. But that’s fine; Ten Hag and the Red Devils recruitment team are presumably well aware of his limitations and bought him for his particularly qualities. “You’ll be bringing this,” Ten Hag said to Ugarte while pointing to the word ‘Fight’ on the wall of the Carrington training ground.

There was a distinct lack of that last season and no great signs of an increase this term, with Casemiro’s display against Liverpool a very clear example of the need for the Uruguayan’s speedy introduction into the first team and excellent evidence for why – despite not yet playing a game for the club – Ugarte is already among the most important players. An injury to him would be a disaster.

A touchline suspension
We’re not sure how it might happen, three yellow cards for dissent probably, it doesn’t matter. The point is Ten Hag will spend a match in the stands and allow Ruud van Nistelrooy – one of Manchester United fans’ favourite sons – to take the reins.

It doesn’t even particularly matter about the result of the game, though a win would obviously be nice, and we’re assuming the results before this fixture haven’t been favourable, which explains all those yellow cards for naughty boy Ten Hag.

It will be the minutiae of Van Nistelrooy’s mannerisms, the degree to which he shouts at or applauds the players and even what he’s wearing, along with his in-game substitutions and the other things that actually matter, that will be pawed over by fans and the media to illustrate why he’s more Manchester United than Ten Hag.

Expect absurd takes around the idea that He Just Looks The Part as tabloid newspapers call in their body language experts and lip readers to offer them ‘REVEALED:..’ headlines that provide clicks, no useful information but become part of a snowballing of acclaim for a manager who beat Brentford 1-0 at Old Trafford.

0-0 draw at home to PAOK 
A nervy win at home against FC Twente on matchday one of the Europa League is followed by away defeats to nil against Porto and Fenerbahce – this fella definitely scores – creating waves of discontent from the fans that they put to one side for the opening 20 minutes against PAOK before the groans begin in earnest.

Fifteen points should be enough to secure a top-eight finish and qualify automatically for the round of 16, but that means United have to win four of their remaining five games and they’re yet to muster a shot in this one.

Bruno Fernandes is flapping arms, Kobbie Mainoo’s doing the work of three men and Rasmus Hojlund is yet to touch the ball with Alejandro Garnacho doing anything but cross the ball to him.

Ten Hag turns to his bench after an hour of passing the ball aimlessly and running down blind alleys and sees four centre-backs and Antony staring back at him. The game finishes 0-0 before Ten Hag quotes xG against statistics in his post match press conference. “It wasn’t that high,” he says.

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Bruno Fernandes stripped of captaincy
Reprimanded by Ten Hag for a minor infraction of team rules, Bruno Fernandes speaks out publicly against his manager, who realises his team would be entirely f***ed without its best player so can’t have him banished to eating meals in the hallway like Jadon Sancho and instead decides to take the armband off him as punishment.

This doesn’t go down well with Fernandes, who’s sick of all this nonsense anyway and gets on the phone to his agent, who’s straight on the phone to rumour mill turner-in-chief Fabrizio Romano in a bid to secure a move away from the club.

The fans would much rather Fernandes stay than Ten Hag, who hammers the final nail in his own coffin by announcing Casemiro as the new club captain.

Spanked at the Etihad
Manchester City interest in Fernandes as a short-term replacement for Saudi-bound Kevin De Bruyne is one of two key talking points ahead of mid-table United’s trip to the Etihad, along with whether Ten Hag will survive a heavy defeat.

Hope that Ten Hag might be able to spring another miracle win over the champions as he did at Wembley seven months ago is extinguished by a first-half hat-trick for Erling Haaland after Marcus Rashford missed the chance to put United in the lead from the penalty spot following a foul in the box on Luke Shaw that saw him limp off in his first game of the season.

The second half sees no further goals but plenty of Poznans to the tune of ‘Ten Hag’s At The Wheel’ as City find there’s no lower gear than first while still entirely controlling a game of football. “I’m embarrassed,” Gary Neville says on co-comms. “There’s no way back from this.”

And there isn’t. Ten Hag is sacked by Manchester United, who announce Van Nistelrooy as their interim manager.