A few high street establishments are attempting to generate some inexpensive publicity by creating pitiful social media jokes regarding Manchester United’s current predicament.
Manchester United, thankfully, possesses a little more sophistication than these witless jokers. And as a result, Erik ten Hag continues to hold his current position and will continue to do so for some time.
In recognition of the effort Ten Hag put forth during the previous season, United should grant him more than ten Premier League games to enhance the team’s performance. United have 15 points after five victories and five defeats, which is only four fewer than they had at this juncture of the 2022–23 season.
12 Premier League games into the previous campaign, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool were down to 16 points. While Ten Hag has not amassed the same level of credit at Anfield as Klopp, his Carabao Cup victory, third-place finish in the Premier League, and run to the FA Cup final should provide the Dutchman with some flexibility.
And certain aspects of the underwhelming performance this season can be attributed to mitigating factors.
To begin with, the injuries sustained by key defenders have been especially discouraging. While Ten Hag bears responsibility for his signing, he could not have been the only United manager to anticipate that goalkeeper Andre Onana would commit so many early, catastrophic errors.
Neither could many evaluators have predicted that Rasmus Hojlund would fail to make his Premier League debut after only seven appearances, but he is a very youthful and talented striker who will develop further. This season, to say it politely, United have been extremely disappointingly inconsistent.
They had won three consecutive matches prior to their Premier League and Carabao Cup defeats to Manchester City and Newcastle United, respectively. At this juncture, it would be unwise to dismiss a manager who has accumulated a win percentage with United that exceeds 62%.
Ten Hag’s position should certainly be in grave danger if the derby’s outcomes indicate a series of defeats at the hands of a well-organized Newcastle and a remarkable City (although City’s second-half prowess was largely overlooked in most analyses of the match).
Furthermore, it is imperative that the United manager devise a system that generates significantly more opportunities and goals. Although five defeats in ten Premier League contests is not ideal, eleven goals scored in those contests is cause for grave concern.
Hojlund will undoubtedly begin to score in the near future, but Ten Hag must also resolve the Jadon Sancho situation. Regardless of your stance, Sancho is a creative player, and Ten Hag needs all the creativity he can get his hands on right now.
They have tallied 69 goals in the forty-eight Premier League matches in which Ten Hag has participated. During this time frame, Manchester City has amassed 120 goals. Simply put, United under Ten Hag are a bit of a bore to witness.
Due to this, it is improbable that Ten Hag will establish a dynasty at Old Trafford, where the issues undoubtedly extend beyond the first-team manager. And just as qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League is extremely unlikely, finishing in the Premier League’s top four is also exceedingly unlikely.
But Ten Hag ought to be given a considerably extended opportunity. Indeed, a considerable number of us hold the view that he is not the most suitable candidate for the United position. Although Ten Hag has made some progress thus far, he merits a considerably greater opportunity to disprove our claims.