Erik ten Hag knows what players think about him

Erik ten Hag was a lonely figure on the Old Trafford touchline this weekend as his Man United side were battered by Tottenham Hotspur.

Former Red Devil, Gary Neville, called the performance ‘disgusting’ and many other things on his Gary Neville podcast, recorded straight after the match when he was clearly still seething from what he had seen from his old club.

United coach Ruud van Nistelrooy was a passive presence on the bench, while his nemesis Martin Keown wondered if he was trying to sack Ten Hag.

Erik ten Hag could be on the brink at Man United

Benni McCarthy, who has also worked with Ten Hag, has questioned the Dutchman’s lack of passion and suggested players want someone on the bench with a bit of fire and authority.

While McCarthy’s comments may have struck a chord with some of the United first team, Ten Hag still has the support of his senior players, according to The Telegraph (subscription required).

Ultimately, it is the players who will determine whether Ten Hag falls on his sword or not, as it is their performance standards on which the manager will be judged.

It is believed that the two games before the international break, against Porto in the Europa League and Aston Villa in the Premier League, could seal his fate.

If Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his board decide it’s time to look elsewhere, United’s long-suffering supporters might want to turn their anger on the players on the pitch.

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When ten Hag goes in the same direction as Ralph Rangnick, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Jose Mourinho, Louis van Gaal and David Moyes, the common thread is staring the fans straight in the face.

For a club with the history of the Red Devils, the managerial merry-go-round has to stop at some point and trust must be placed in the man in the dugout rather than in underperforming and overpaid players.