Powder-keg for Ten Hag and Mourinho with a Man Utd win potentially leading to Fenerbahce sack for Special One

Erik ten Hag will have the rare opportunity to face a rival coach seemingly under more pressure than him of the sack – and the Manchester United boss admits he cannot wait to come face-to-face with Fenerbahce coach Jose Mourinho in Thursday’s Europa League tie.

Ten Hag claimed a much-needed win over the weekend as they came from behind to record a 2-1 victory over Brentford at Old Trafford to notch their first three-point haul in six matches. However, given the intense pressure on his shoulders, the Manchester United boss will need another victory on Thursday night to keep the wolves from his door and prove that the weekend’s win was not a flash in the pan.

Somewhat ironically, Ten Hag comes up against former United boss Mourinho in his very next game – with the Fenerbahce boss also seemingly in growing danger of the axe himself after a less-than-impressive start.

Indeed, while Fener have lost only once in eight Super Lig matches so far, they are already eight points adrift of reigning champions Galatasaray at the top of the table and there have been murmurings of discontent around the style of football being played by the Yellow Canaries and in a failure from Mourinho to deliver what he promised upon his appointment.

Nonetheless, Ten Hag admits he cannot wait to go head to head with Mourinho, citing his respect for one of his Red Devils predecessors.

“It’s a big game for both of us, I really enjoy facing him, to play against him,” Ten Hag told Hayters TV.

“[Mourinho] always has good teams. He is a winner, he’s won so many trophies. I think he is an example for many, many managers, so I really enjoy playing against them.”

READ MORE ~ Next Man Utd manager: EVERY single option tipped to replace Ten Hag

Why Mourinho is under pressure and how a Man Utd win may lead to sack

While Ten Hag will be entirely focused on claiming his first Europa League win of the season to enhance their prospects of qualifying for the next phase – United have so far just picked up two points after successive draws against FC Porto and FC Twente – it will make a big change for the Dutchman to go into a game as the coach, not under the most scrutiny.

And according to Turkish outlet Fanatik, Mourinho could find himself in danger of the sack were his side to suffer a home defeat to the Red Devils on Thursday.

Fenerbahce legend Volkan Demirel has explained the situation around Mourinho and claims that “right now, this Fenerbahce team is mixed with unhappiness and hopelessness.”

Explaining the negativity that has already built up around his reign just a matter of months since taking charge, he added: “Why the unhappiness? Because of the environment they are in. Why the hopelessness? We were all expecting something. We were expecting it from Mourinho, we were expecting it from the transfers that were made.”

He added: “We were saying let’s see after the international break, but nothing has changed at the moment, but it will obviously continue like this. We waited to see if we could see a change, a variability, but it didn’t happen.”

Ten Hag sack latest: Cost to axe Man Utd boss revealed / Howe claims grow

Ten Hag will be hoping United can claim successive wins for the first time this season on Thursday night, teeing them up perfectly for Sunday’s game at West Ham (and a meeting under-pressure manager Julen Lopetegui), before they tackle Leicester in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.

The next few games will tell us plenty about the direction United are heading in under Ten Hag with all three matches seen as winnable.

However, new claims over why Ten Hag has avoided the sack emerged on Monday when the sheer cost to remove both Ten Hag and his backroom team came to light – and possibly explained the club’s hesitancy in pulling the trigger.

We revealed last week that one of the men under consideration to replace Ten Hag were the axe to fall is Newcastle boss Eddie Howe. And now a new report has revealed the Newcastle boss would back himself to take the job and transform the Red Devils’ fortunes if offered the chance to take charge.

Meanwhile, on the transfer front, sources have also revealed to us that five Man Utd stars are at risk of the axe in 2025, including a £166m duo and a 2023 signing.

How does Ten Hag’s Man Utd record compare to Mourinho?

United’s two most successful managers post Sir Alex Ferguson will be going head-to-head on Thursday at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in Istanbul’s Kadikoy district.

Of the two, Mourinho narrowly pips Ten Hag with his win percentage record, having won 84 of his 144 matches in charge, giving him a 58.33% win record.

The Dutchman currently has 70 wins in his 126 games in charge – a 55.56% success rate.

Both men also boast two trophies from their time at the helm, with Mourinho helping United win the League Cup and the Europa League, while Ten Hag also has a League Cup triumph and FA Cup success to his name.