Many thought Spurs would be the last straw.
After Manchester United were trounced 3-0 at Old Trafford by Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, many fans were calling for manager Erik ten Hag to be sacked.
The pressure has been mounting all season as a series of disappointing results have left supporters riled.
For many, it was a make-or-break tie before the ball had even been kicked but a defeat of this magnitude felt like the final nail in the Dutchman’s managerial coffin.
However, according to The Telegraph’s James Ducker, the United hierarchy still has faith that Ten Hag can deliver.
United sit twelfth in the table following two wins, three losses and a draw, leaving them six points adrift of the Champions League places
Meanwhile, a draw in their opening Europa League match against the lowest-ranked side in the competition has also left them with work to do.
Ducker reports that Ten Hag will remain in charge for United’s games against Porto and Aston Villa later this week.
Last week it was announced that United aim to win the Premier League in 2028 to celebrate 150 years since they formed but to do that, they will need to make sure they have the right man at the helm and a little bit of consistency.
Sporting director Dan Ashworth, chief executive Omar Berrada, technical director Jason Wilcox and club board director Dave Brailsford were in deep conversation at the full-time whistle, but they are said to be supportive of the manager and his players at what is a tense time for the club.
Ten Hag will be hoping for a reaction from his players when they travel to Portugal for their Europa League game on Thursday but Ten Hag has won just one of his last nine European matches.
Then three days later they will travel to Aston Villa for their last game before the international break.
The club took their total spending under Ten Hag to more than £600 million this summer with the signings of Joshua Zirkzee, Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Leny Yoro but the side has shown no improvement from last season where they finished 8th.
When asked yesterday about his future, he said he was not fearful of being sacked.
He said: “No, I am not thinking about this. We all made this decision to stay together, as an ownership, as a leadership group in the summer.
“Also we made the decision from a clear review what we have to improve as an organisation and how we want to construct a squad.
“But we knew it will take some time because of how the [summer transfer] window went, some players late in like [Manuel] Ugarte. Also we have to make some improvement in organisation, we still have some injuries, we need some time.
“We are all on one page or in one boat together – the ownership, the leadership group, the staff and the players as well. I don’t have that concern.”
Meanwhile, pundits and ex-players all slammed the performance with Gary Neville labelling it ‘an absolutely disgusting performance in effort and quality’.
Chris Sutton, the former England striker, said: “That’s the type of performance which gets the manager the sack.”
While former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp said: “I just don’t see how he [Ten Hag] can keep his job. He looks completely lost and I don’t know how he can turn it around.”
