Manchester United’s under-siege manager Erik ten Hag will clutch gratefully at any small mercy as he battles to present a convincing case that he should have a long-term future at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag faced games at Porto in the Europa League and away to Aston Villa in the past week, which were flagged as potential defining moments as United’s restructured managerial hierarchy plotted their next moves.
United may not have won either of those games – the concession of a two-goal advantage to draw 3-3 in Porto typical of the disorganised chaos that has characterised much of Ten Hag’s tenure – but a battling goalless draw at Aston Villa at least means he did not lose any.
The club’s co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe was in attendance at Villa Park alongside sidekick Sir Dave Brailsford and other members of United’s new executive group such as Dan Ashworth, Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox. Sir Alex Ferguson was there too, for good measure.
So has Ten Hag done enough to maintain the continued faith of Ratcliffe and his cohorts – and what will be central to their deliberations this week?
Did draw with Villa show signs of improvement defensively?
Ten Hag’s decision to revert back to the veteran duo of 36-year-old Jonny Evans and Harry Maguire to stem the tide against Aston Villa spoke volumes about the problems he has had making United any sort of cohesive unit.
The Dutchman ditched Matthijs de Ligt, his recent £45m signing from Bayern Munich, and Lisandro Martinez in a decision which was hardly a vote of confidence in a pair designed to be the future of his defence.
A clean sheet at Villa was almost cause for celebration given United have remained porous whatever combination he has tried – and Evans and Maguire have not played together since last November.
Since Ten Hag was appointed in summer 2022, no Premier League side have conceded three or more goals in a match in all competitions more times than United’s total of 24. And in 62 game since the start of last season, United have conceded twice on 31 occasions, the most of any Premier League side.
De Ligt emerged in the second half in place of the injured Maguire, an injury which did not look good, but Ten Hag’s failure to organise a solid defence has been a major fault in his strategy.
The excellence of Evans on his recall was credit to his enduring quality, but it is a poor reflection on those around him that Ten Hag still has to turn to a player who only returned to Old Trafford in an emergency last season and remains an important figure.
Former Republic of Ireland striker Clinton Morrison told BBC Radio 5 Live: “Jonny Evans was brilliant. He got a few kicks in the first half and he did well.
“He might not have the pace but what Evans does is he reads the game very well. He has come in and done a good job. A good decision by Erik ten Hag.”
If he is to stay as Manchester United manager, Ten Hag will need to make more of them.
But where are the goals coming from?
If Manchester United’s defensive statistics play into the problems that leave them 14th in the Premier League and has Ten Hag fighting for his job, then the attacking picture is also bleak.
United have scored a meagre five goals in their opening seven Premier League games. Only struggling Southampton have fewer, having scored four, while Crystal Palace also have five.
It was significant that loud chants of “attack, attack, attack” were heard from the section of Villa Park housing visiting supporters as they slowed the action down in the closing minutes with a point in sight. This may well have captured the attention of Ratcliffe et al, given the club’s tradition of expansive, attacking football.
You have to go back to 1972-73 for a worse total, when United only had four goals from their first seven league games.
This lack of threat was in evidence here at Villa Park. The combined expected goals total between Villa and Manchester United in this game was just 1.05, the lowest in the Premier League this season.
Rasmus Hojlund returned to action at Villa Park, but for all his effort was ineffective and replaced by Joshua Zirkzee after an hour.
Zirkzee has only one goal in 10 games, while Antony has 12 in 86 and Hojlund a more respectable 17 in 48 matches – but still hardly prolific.
The overall goal statistics under Ten Hag are also damning. He has the worst goals-per-game ratio of any permanent Manchester United manager taken from Sir Alex Ferguson onwards, with a figure of 1.45 goals per game.
So can you ignore United’s poor form?
Manchester United and Ten Hag may be happy with a draw at Villa Park, a tough assignment as Bayern Munich discovered when they were beaten here in the Champions League on Wednesday, but it cannot disguise the manager and the team’s continued struggles.
United’s failure to win means they have their worst points tally after seven games of the Premier League era.
It is their worst start since 1989-90, when they finished 13th in the First Division, and the sight of more than £300m-worth of Ten Hag signings starting on the bench painted a grim picture of the club’s desperately flawed recruitment strategy under him.
They did, at least, show some of the organisation and fight missing in the embarrassing 3-0 loss at home to Tottenham last Sunday and some of the defensive resilience that disappeared after a good start in Porto.
United have now gone five games without a win, the first time in five years this has happened, and while this was an improved performance it still leaves them with only two league wins so far this season.
This was not what Ratcliffe and United’s powerbrokers had in mind when they eventually decided to stand by Ten Hag this summer, after casting their net but failing to find a suitable alternative.
United at least had shape and a semblance of organisation, a sharp contrast to Spurs and Porto, but there is still no evidence of what clear identity Ten Hag is attempting to fashion.
The fixture list after the international break starts with a home game against Brentford before a trip to Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce in the Europa League, West Ham United away, then Leicester City at home.
If Ten Hag survives – and he still sounded confident after this draw at Villa – more positive results must come instantly.
Is the international break an ideal time to make a change?
The international break has often presented a convenient time for managerial change, but Ten Hag will hope two draws will postpone such thoughts among those charged with making the big calls at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag’s sense of jeopardy would have been much greater had either of the past two games, especially at Villa, ended in defeat.
However, it does not take a stretch of the imagination to assume such a poor start to the Premier League season will come high on the agenda for discussion when United’s top brass meet next.
This break in the season offers a chance to United – and indeed Ten Hag – to take time and take stock, giving them space to examine their options.
Before the game against Villa, Ratcliffe told BBC sports editor Dan Roan Ten Hag’s future was “not my call”, saying the hierarchy he has assembled must “take stock and make some sensible decisions”.
He added: “It’s the management team that’s running Manchester United that have to decide how we best run the team in many different aspects.”
Who else is even available?
This was Manchester United’s problem in the summer before they decided the surprise victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup final was enough to continue with Ten Hag.
England manager Gareth Southgate has favour within United’s top brass and is now available after resigning following Euro 2024, but the notion hardly captured the imagination of Manchester United’s fans.
Thomas Tuchel had talks in the summer after leaving Bayern Munich but was not convinced enough to take the job. The German has high-class credentials, such as winning the Champions League with Chelsea, but also has a reputation for being high maintenance. Would United by tempted to have another crack and be convinced they could manage any issues of temperament?
Former Brighton and Chelsea manager Graham Potter was coy about summer links with United but has made it clear he is now ready to return to management after being sacked in April 2023 after only seven months at Stamford Bridge.
Ruud van Nistelrooy came back to Manchester United to join Ten Hag’s team after the manager was finally shown faith in the summer. Could he hold the fort while a wider search goes on?
Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi has outstanding pedigree, taking them to the Champions League Final against Manchester City in 2023 and continues to do outstanding work at the San Siro.
Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna is highly-regarded from his time on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s staff at United but his career, which has been outstanding at Portman Road in taking The Tractor Boys into the Premier League, is still a work in progress, so it may be too early for the 38-year-old.
Ten Hag will hope some shoots of recovery, no matter how flimsy, shown in the last seven days may just put off such a debate.