Erik ten Hag has been told that he has three games to save his job, as the Manchester United dressing room turns against him.
Following Saturday’s meek 1-0 defeat away to Newcastle, it’s emerged that several players have become disillusioned with Ten Hag’s management ahead of a crucial run of games. The Red Devils welcome Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea to Old Trafford on Wednesday before another home Premier League match against an in-form Bournemouth side this Saturday.
Then comes a must-win Champions League clash with already-qualified Bayern Munich, but even three points at Old Trafford next Tuesday might not be enough for United to reach the knockout phase.
Should Ten Hag’s nightmare continue and they end up losing all three of those games, Arsenal legend Paul Merson has predicted that the Dutchman won’t be in charge when the Red Devils travel to Anfield on Sunday, December 17 to face arch enemies Liverpool.
“If they lose to Chelsea, Bournemouth, and Bayern, I don’t see how Ten Hag keeps his job,” Merson wrote in his predictions columns for Sportskeeda. “I do think they’ll beat Bournemouth, however, and they could do well against a Bayern Munich side that has already qualified for the Round of 16.
“Chelsea haven’t been great defensively, and Man United are all over the place. They let in three goals against Galatasaray and could’ve conceded ten against Newcastle.”
Predicting a 3-3 draw for Wednesday’s clash with Chelsea, the former Arsenal midfielder also labelled United’s loss at Newcastle one of the most ‘one-sided matches he’s ever seen’ – and it’s hard to disagree with his sentiment. “I thought it was embarrassing,” Merson added. “I was shocked by the way United played and the lack of effort they put in.”
Ten Hag, who’ll face the media on Tuesday ahead of the Chelsea match, insists that his team will turn things around, having lost 10 of their 21 games in all competitions this season. “We have to put this right,” the Red Devils boss affirmed on Saturday.
“I know we are resilient. We can do that. Several weeks ago, we lost to [Manchester] City and then we had a good run [in the Premier League], so we have to get back to a good run.”
