Man Utd chiefs will oversee two managerial auditions vs Brentford as Erik ten Hag fights for job

Manchester United face Brentford at Old Trafford following the international and are looking to turn around their season with Erik ten Hag still in the hotseat

Only two points and three places separate Manchester United and Brentford, but their could scarcely be more difference between the security of Erik ten Hag and Thomas Frank's positions.

United's bleak start to the season sees them sit 14th in the Premier League and winless in their five games in all competitions. Ten Hag's position has been much speculated upon during the international break and though he appears to have been given a reprieve, the Dutchman will be under the spotlight once again this weekend.

Frank meanwhile continues to build his reputation. The Dane first joined the Bees as an assistant to Dean Smith before graduation to head coach.

In that time Frank helped the west London side earn promotion and since has cemented the team's place in the Premier League, while others have struggled to do so during the same period. The understated 51-year-old achievements have not gone unnoticed.

Figures at Old Trafford are said to have their eyes open to his talents. United chiefs are even said to have engaged in talks with Frank's representatives before the FA Cup final win over Manchester City which may have spared Ten Hag from the sack.

Those talks happened not too long after Frank was asked whether he could achieve his ambitions with Brentford. “I can’t see why not. I think ambition is many things.

"I never know what’s going to happen in the future. Maybe I’m staying here for the rest of my time in football. Am I going to another club? Maybe that’s also a good opportunity. But you never know.

“What I know is that I’m very happy here. Ambition is ‘how can I make the perfect club? How can we try to maybe win something?’ How can you beat the odds and maybe one year qualify for Europe? You never know, I don’t want to set any aims.”

Saturday's meeting will ensure another opportunity for the likes of Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Omar Berrada and Dan Ashworth to compare and contrast what they have at their disposal versus what could have been. Defeat will firmly bring Ten Hag's position under the spotlight once again.

Speaking ahead of the game, Frank suggested the intensity of criticism his United counterpart has faced is too much. The Brentford boss even launched a defence of his adversary's record.

"It's incredible how much scrutiny he's had to face," Frank said. "As a head coach, I acknowledge how it feels to be in a situation like this. I think the criticism is too much.

"He's clearly a good coach, he's won two trophies in two seasons. But I understand how it is: if the team wins, the head coach is absolutely fantastic; if the team loses, the head coach is absolutely s**t! Whereas it's probably somewhere in between.

"It's never only the head coach, or the players, or the fans, or the board, it's a combination of all of these things."

Since completing his investment in United earlier this year, Ratcliffe has looked to transform the club and the way it operates. Players and staff have come and gone already and while results do not meet expectations Ten Hag will continued to be judged intensely.

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