Man Utd: Ten Hag ‘faces sack’ as Ratcliffe ‘winks’ at ‘ready’ replacement with ‘crisis one defeat away’
According to reports, Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag ‘is facing the sack’ as he is said to be ‘one defeat away from a crisis’ at Old Trafford.
The Dutchman came under immense pressure last season as Man Utd struggled en route to finishing eighth in the Premier League.
However, the Red Devils finished the campaign strongly as they beat arch-rivals Manchester City at Wembley to win the FA Cup.
Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino, Gareth Southgate, Roberto De Zerbi and Kieran McKenna were linked with Man Utd as potential replacements, but the FA Cup win saved Ten Hag, who has penned a contract extension until 2026.
The optimism at Man Utd increased in the summer as they had a positive transfer window, but they have had a mixed start to the new season.
Ten Hag’s side won their opening Premier League game against Fulham but were beaten by Brighton and Liverpool. Since these defeats, they have bounced back to beat Southampton and Barnsley.
READ: Man Utd to ‘prove new Erik ten Hag truth’ if they beat team in 16th
The United head coach is the joint-third favourite to be the first Premier League boss to leave this season and Football Insider says he’s ‘facing the sack’. He is said to be ‘one defeat away from a crisis’.
‘Since the decision to extend his contract in the summer, the boss has faced intense pressure on his position.
‘United face a favourable run in their upcoming games with a trip to Crystal Palace and the visit of FC Twente in the Europa League.
‘However, those games are followed by clashes with Tottenham, Porto and Aston Villa, where a poor run would see intense pressure piled back on Ten Hag.
‘Sources say the board are keen to stick by their man as they did in the summer, but a poor run of form could force their hand.’
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On Friday afternoon, a report from Italian outlet Calciomercato claimed former Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri is being ‘sounded out’ by Man Utd as a potential replacement for Ten Hag.
The report said: ‘The climate around ten Hag is one of a sort of silent verification
‘And in this situation, keep an eye on Massimiliano #Allegri : these are the days in which some little birds have sounded out the Livorno coach even just for a greeting, a “how are you, how are you doing”, winking and implying that… if something happened, would you be ready?
‘Well, Max would be ready. He wants real football and in his scale of values, with all due respect, it can’t be the Saudi League. Not yet. The appointment never made with Manchester, United’s side where he enjoys a high approval rating from the club’s top brass, instead has the flavour of temptation.
‘With Allegri the channel is always open and someone is taking the trouble to feed it right in these days, sounding out the moods of Manchester and what will happen between now and the next two-three months knowing that in this period of time every moment can become the right one.
‘And this is true for #ManchesterUnited as well as for other top clubs between Serie A, Liga and Bundesliga, in addition to the Premier League which in some way however is a small big dream of the former coach of #Juve2.’
