Exclusive: Game over for Ten Hag as Ratcliffe and key players give up on Man Utd boss

Erik ten Hag is seen as a dead man walking at Manchester United with the club likely to make a change at the end of the season, TEAMtalk can exclusively reveal.

After securing a top-four finish and Carabao Cup success in his first campaign in charge in 2022/23, this season has proven to be far more challenging for Ten Hag.

Manchester United currently sit sixth in the table – eight points away from the Champions League qualification places – having lost 10 of their 26 Premier League games so far, with their latest defeat coming at home to Fulham last Saturday.

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The club also finished bottom of their Champions League group – behind the likes of Copenhagen and Galatasaray – winning just one of their six Group A fixtures.

As well as uninspiring performances on the pitch, Ten Hag’s recruitment has also come under scrutiny with a number of his signings – including Brazilian winger Antony, signed from Ajax for an £85million fee in the summer of 2022 – struggling to make an impact.

Fresh doubts over Ten Hag’s future at Old Trafford surfaced following Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s acquisition of a 25 per cent share in Manchester United at the end of last season. The INEOS chairman has assumed responsibility for all football operations inside the club.

Ten Hag a dead man walking as INEOS target fresh start

Ratcliffe has already made his presence felt inside Old Trafford, appointing Omar Berrada as the club’s new chief executive in a major coup from local rivals Manchester City.

United have also made a move for Newcastle United sporting director Dan Ashworth, who was recently placed on gardening leave by the Magpies after signalling his intention to leave.

With results still inconsistent, TEAMtalk can reveal that Ten Hag is now regarded as a dead man walking by club insiders with the Dutchman likely to be relieved of his duties at the end of the season.

Sources suggest Ratcliffe’s new regime is keen to appoint a new man in the summer, with some players no longer believing in Ten Hag and his methods.

Speaking recently to selected media, Ratcliffe stopped short of giving his full backing to Ten Hag – claiming it would be “inappropriate” to comment on his future.

He said: “I’m not going to comment on Erik ten Hag because it would be inappropriate to do that.

“But if you look at the 11 years that have gone since David Gill and Sir Alex Ferguson have stepped down, there have been a whole series of coaches, some of which were very good.

“And none of them were successful, or survived for very long.

“And you can’t blame all the coaches. The only conclusion you can draw is that the environment in which they were working didn’t work.”

Manchester United are due to face Man City on Sunday in what could prove to be another nail in his managerial coffin at Old Trafford.

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