Erik ten Hag is under huge pressure as Manchester United manager at the moment, and an update regarding his future has made the current situation clear.
How much pressure is Erik ten Hag under?
The Red Devils secured a solid third-place finish in the Premier League last season, with Ten Hag impressing in his first season in charge and receiving plenty of praise. The hope was that United would kick on a further gear in 2023/24, aided by more new signings such as Andre Onana and Mason Mount, and there was even talk of a potential title challenge from some quarters.
It has been woeful start to the season for the club, however, with four defeats coming their way in their opening seven league matches. In truth, it could be even worse than that, too, with Wolves hugely unlucky to lose at Old Trafford and Nottingham Forest also 2-0 up away from home at one point, prior to United winning 3-2.
Saturday afternoon's 1-0 loss at home to Crystal Palace has further cranked up the pressure on Ten Hag, and an update has now emerged over his future in Manchester.
Will Erik ten Hag be sacked as Man Utd manager?
According to an update from Football Insider's Pete O'Rourke, sharing news from his sources, the Dutchman's job as United boss is safe for the time being, although results and performances both clearly need to improve in order for that to stay the same:
"Man United are not yet considering sacking manager Erik ten Hag despite a poor start to the 2023-24 campaign, sources have told Football Insider. It is believed the Dutchman has plenty of credit in the bank after a successful first season at Old Trafford.
"Ten Hag led Man United to a third-place finish, won the League Cup – and also reached the FA Cup final, where they were beaten by Man City.
"A well-placed source has told Football Insider that there is “no panic” within top-ranking club chiefs despite a stuttering start this term. Nevertheless, pressure is ramping up on Ten Hag after four losses in the first seven Premier League games of the season."
There is no question that Ten Hag is under deserved pressure at the moment, with four defeats out of seven simply nowhere near good enough for a club of United's stature. They also lost their Champions League opener at Bayern Munich, and there is not much to be positive about at the moment.
In fairness to the manager, injury problems aren't helping him, with key defenders such as Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw all unavailable at the moment, but if there aren't noticeable improvements soon, a big decision may need to be made in the next few months.
For now, Ten Hag has enough credit in the bank after a good first season as manager – one that saw him handle the Cristiano Ronaldo situation expertly and also show strong character in dropping Harry Maguire – but United can't afford to be cut too far adrift in the Premier League top-four battle before serious questions start to be asked about whether another boss needs to come in and take the team forward.