Manchester United's limp defeat to Tottenham at the weekend has further cranked up the pressure on Erik ten Hag
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag(Image credit: Getty Images)
Erik ten Hag's Manchester United future has been one of the week's big talking points following the Red Devils' 3-0 defeat to Tottenham on Sunday.
The Dutchman's job is under serious threat following the reverse which has left the club sitting 13th in the Premier League table after claiming just seven points from their opening six games.
Reports have suggested that the team's next two games - away to Porto in the Europa League and then a trip to Villa Park to face Aston Villa in the Premier League - could be decisive in terms of Ten Hag's future at the club.
Erik Ten Hag in discussions with Manchester United director, Dan Ashworth
Dan Ashworth and Erik ten Hag unveiling new signings Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui in the summer (Image credit: Getty Images)
Ahead of the trip to Portugal, Ten Hag has has revealed that he is in regular contract with the club's director of football Dan Ashworth and believes he still has the backing of the Old Trafford hierarchy.
"We talk every day," the beleaguered boss said during his pre-Porto press conference. "We are a union and we made that commitment in the summer.
Ashworth arrived at Old Trafford over the summer (Image credit: Getty Images)
“We refreshed the staff and I appointed my assistants, I appointed the staff. I did this. We refreshed the squad as well."
Ten Hag continued: "It's not necessary to give me confidence. We talk every day about how we can improve this club, this team, improve the processes, the procedures, the connections. That is what we talk about."
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
Ten Hag was backed by the club in the summer, as £200million was spent on five new signings, including Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, who he previously worked with at Ajax, but only after reports had emerged that a number of managers had been sounded out over the job.
The club extended Ten Hag's contract by a further year to 2026, and reports have suggested that this could save the 54-year-old's job, as he would now reportedly be due £17.5million in compensation, which could potentially impact the club's battle to meet their FFP and PSR limits set by both UEFA and the Premier League.
VIDEO: Why Man United Got DESTROYED By Tottenham
In FourFourTwo's view, Ten Hag can be buoyed by the fact that Ashworth does not have a reputation for being a trigger happy sporting director and the pair's working relationship remains in tact, despite the club's poor run of form.
However, Ashworth will know that results will be key to the manager's future and if the team are unable to bounce back before the international break, the issue of Ten Hag's future will not go away.
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team.
