Ten Hag given Man Utd sack assurances as pundit reveals two reasons to make Dutchman smile

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has been told he doesn’t have any reason to fear the sack any time soon after the Dutchman picked up a pressure-reducing 3-0 victory against Southampton at St Mary’s on Saturday.

The Red Devils won their first match of the season, squeaking a 1-0 victory over Fulham at Old Trafford before losses in their next two at Brighton and, quite emphatically, 3-0 at home to Liverpool heaped pressure back on the  shoulders of the Manchester United boss.

However, goals from Matthijs de Ligt and Marcus Rashford before the interval set United on their way, before a third deep in stoppage time from Alejandro Garnacho sealed the win.

In light of that result, Clinton Morrison believes Ten Hag retains the support of club officials, and with Sir Jim Ratcliffe opting to stay loyal over the summer to the Dutchman, the Sky Sports pundit believes time remains on his side.

Speaking to 10betsports, Morrison is adamant Ten Hag will be handed more time to turn things.

“Will he be the first manager to win the sack race? I don’t think so, I hope he isn’t, and after Jim Ratcliffe and his new executive team gave him so much money to spend this summer, I would be surprised if they were going to wield the axe any time soon.”

Morrison believes Ten Hag will be given a few months at least to see how his new signings gel together and insists only he can keep the pressure mounting on his shoulders: “Surely after sanctioning that level of spending, you have to give your manager time for his new players to start gelling together.

“I also like the comments coming out of the club. They have said they are fully behind ten Hag.

“There is no doubt that the results need to improve at Manchester United. The loss to Brighton could have gone either way, they were a bit unlucky with Zirkzee’s disallowed goal. The Fulham win wasn’t convincing at all.

“The only man that can stop the whispers about his future is Erik ten Hag himself. He will know that everyone is talking about his job security; he will understand the pressure that comes with managing Manchester United after two years in the chair.”

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Morrison continued: “It looked like he was on his way out last season, but then United produced their best performance of the season, won the FA Cup, and kept ten Hag in the job.

“He’s under a massive amount of pressure, but that’s what comes with the territory of managing a massive club like Manchester United. He knows that every single result is going to be scrutinised.

“I hope he can turn it around. I would like him to stay at the club.”

That is a view shared by former United midfielder Nicky Butt, who insists United would be foolish to consider removing him from his job any time soon.

“There’s no point sacking somebody if there’s nobody to come in,” the former Man Utd star told Manchester Evening News. “Clubs all over the world do it, I think it’s crazy.

“They sack a manager because it’s not going well and they don’t have any reasonable targets coming in, then they bring another wrong one in and it’s a knock-on effect.

“For me, I’d give him time to get it right. It’s just the start of the season, we’ve only played three or four games and you’ve got to stand by him.

“If they don’t do that, they just should have let go of him in the post-season.”

Despite their victory on Saturday, it’s been a real mixed bag start to the season and former Arsenal and Chelsea defender William Gallas believes United have little chance of securing a top-four finish if they persist with Ten Hag.

“Manchester United, from what I’ve seen, have very little chance of finishing in the top four this season. In all honesty I don’t think it will be long before Erik ten Hag is sacked,” Gallas said.

Rashford upset by Man Utd legends / Van de Beek explains Old Trafford failure

Another man often coming in for criticism from pundits and former players is Marcus Rashford and the forward will have felt some relief by his first goal of the season at St Mary’s on Saturday.

In the build-up to the game, it had been claimed by the i paper that Rashford was feeling “bullied” by a portion of the club’s former players and that every time every mistake he makes is given additional scrutiny.

And amid suggestions that the player is unhappy at the treatment he is being given, claims have arisen that an ‘ultimate betrayal’ transfer could be on the cards for Rashford in 2025.

Meanwhile, another star who failed to show his best while at United, Donny van de Beek, has come clean on his struggles during his ill-fated spell at Old Trafford.

The Dutchman was a £40m signing in the delayed summer 2020 transfer window, but rarely showed anywhere near the form expected of him and he departed for a knockdown fee of €500,000 (£420,000 / $555,000) to Girona earlier this summer.

“I think it’s clear that it didn’t work out for both sides,” Van de Beek said in an extended interview.

“But that’s the past and I have nothing bad to say about the club.”

How does Ten Hag compare to Arteta, Klopp after two seasons

Despite the question marks and the inconsistencies that have summed up his reign, United could certainly learn lots from looking at the arcs both Mikel Arteta has had at Arsenal and, before that Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.

Indeed, aside from the very obvious fact that Ten Hag has delivered two trophies in his two seasons at Old Trafford, the United boss has also claimed more wins, more points per game and, as a result, boasts a better win percentage ratio when compared to his peers.

That said, while a title push might be beyond them this season, Ten Hag will at the absolute least be expected to show United are capable of securing a top-four finish and a return to the Champions League.

To achieve that, he will need those new signings to gel and for the inconsistencies that blighted their season last time out to be truly eradicated for good.

Saturday’s win at Southampton certainly sets them on the right path.

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