Erik ten Hag: Why besieged Manchester United manager is unlikely to be sacked

Calls to have Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag sacked keep growing by every defeat with Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League exit adding to the pressure but it seems the Dutchman is here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future.

United are out of the Champions League at the group phase, 10 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool and last weekend suffered one of their most embarrassing home defeats of recent years, a 4-0 loss at the hands of Bournemouth.

Only three teams in Europe’s five major leagues have lost more games than United’s 12 in all competitions this season (Burnley, Union Berlin and Almeria).

That has seen pressure increase on Ten Hag with fans beginning to call for his sacking over what they perceive a lack of identity and falling out with players on top of the poor form.

However, the fans will have to content with the Dutch tactician for some time it seems, since United, according to UK media, are not in a position to sack him right now.

United have reportedly decided to hold fire on major managerial decisions until Sir Jim Ratcliffe purchases his 25-per-cent share in the club.

The Independent claim that Ten Hag retains the backing of the United board, and in any case, game-changing decisions will be put on ice until Sir Jim's buy-in is announced.

The British billionaire is expected to become a minority owner with a degree of authority over sporting decisions at Old Trafford. With confirmation of his share purchase anticipated over the coming days, Ten Hag's rocky run has come at the worst possible time.

The Athletic also claim Ten Hag’s £15m compensation package is another sticky issue for United who are against shelling out a large sum to sack another manager. Ten Hag’s contract runs until the summer of 2025 on a salary close to £9m so to sack him could cost the club up to £15m.

However, the former Ajax Amsterdam manager will have to start turning things around given previous United managers such as Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had backing before the axe eventually fell when the results stopped coming.

It does not get any better for Ten Hag as United face Premier League leaders Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday and even with their huge injury list, he will have to find a way to get a positive result to ease the pressure.

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