As the Manchester United dressing room turns against him, Erik ten Hag has been warned he has three games to save his job.

Following Saturday’s 1-0 loss to Newcastle, it has been revealed that numerous players have become disillusioned with Ten Hag’s management ahead of a vital run of games. The Red Devils welcome Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea to Old Trafford on Wednesday before hosting an in-form Bournemouth side coming Saturday.

Then comes a must-win Champions League match against already-qualified Bayern Munich, although three points at Old Trafford next Tuesday may not be enough for United to advance to the knockout stage. If Ten Hag’s nightmare continues and they lose all three games, Arsenal icon Paul Merson predicts that the Dutchman will not be in charge when the Red Devils travel to Anfield to face archrivals Liverpool on Sunday, December 17.

“If they lose to Chelsea, Bournemouth, and Bayern, I don’t see how Ten Hag keeps his job,” Merson said in his Sportskeeda predictions column. “However, I believe they will defeat Bournemouth, and they could do well against a Bayern Munich side that has already qualified for the Round of 16.”

“Chelsea haven’t been particularly strong defensively, and Manchester United have been all over the place.” They allowed three goals against Galatasaray and may have given up eight against Newcastle.”

Predicting a 3-3 draw with Chelsea on Wednesday, the former Arsenal player also called United’s loss at Newcastle one of the most ‘one-sided meetings he’s ever seen,’ and it’s difficult to disagree. “I thought it was embarrassing,” Merson continued. “I was shocked by the way United played and the lack of effort they put in.”

Erik ten Hag has led Manchester United to six Premier League defeats in their first 14 games.

Ten Hag, who will speak to the media before of the Chelsea game on Tuesday, is confident that his squad can turn things around after losing 10 of their 21 games in all competitions this season. “We have to put this right,” Red Devils manager Jose Mourinho said on Saturday.

“I know we’re strong. That is something we can accomplish. We lost to [Manchester] City a few weeks ago and then had a terrific run [in the Premier League], so we need to get back on track.”