Erik ten Hag went into the last week knowing that he probably had two games to save his job as Manchester United manager. He has won neither. But he has, also, lost neither with the fortunate 3-3 draw away to Porto in the Europa League on Thursday followed by this more encouraging goalless stalemate, also away, to Aston Villa.
It means Ten Hag’s team have accumulated the fewest points (eight) after the first seven games of the season of any United side since the start of the Premier League. In injury-time Villa went close as Jaden Philogene’s goal-bound shot struck Diogo Dalot on the back and deflected narrowly wide. How significant will that moment prove to be? Will this result be enough? With football now going into an international break time will soon tell but, as ever it seems with United under Ten Hag, little is clear.
“Attack, attack, attack,” chanted the United fans as goalkeeper Andre Onana appeared to time-waste with just five minutes to go and that should not be lost on the club’s hierarchy. Sir Jim Ratcliffe joined his adviser Sir Dave Brailsford, Sir Alex Ferguson and the host of executives he hired – Omar Berrada, Dan Ashworth and Jason Wilcox – and it felt like they were waiting for the guillotine to drop. Will Ten Hag survive the chop? It is now one win in five for United and just three wins in 11 in all competitions this season and that is a truly abysmal record for a club of its resources, ambitions and expectations.
They came close to scoring,.