Replacement options, Sir Jim Ratcliffe view - Man United get final Erik ten Hag sack verdict

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag's fate is now in the hands of Ineos after his two-game probation came to an end on Sunday afternoon.

On Monday, following a disappointing defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, MEN Sport reported that United were not going to sack Ten Hag until at least after the matches against Porto and Aston Villa. This increased scrutiny on the Dutchman this week as the manager looked to prove his worth to the Old Trafford boardroom.

Thursday night put Ten Hag on the brink as despite leading 2-0 after 20 minutes, United had to rely on a last-minute equaliser from Harry Maguire to save a point. Fast forward to Sunday and the Reds put in a more balanced display at Villa Park albeit the host's seemed to be off their game after beating Bayern Munich 1-0 in midweek.

With Ten Hag having done everything he can to save his job before the international break, MEN Sport has asked our writers whether or not the Dutchman deserves to be sacked.

READ MORE: I spotted Ruud van Nistelrooy Man United moment which proves Ineos were right

READ MORE: Manchester United star leaves Villa Park in protective boot as Erik ten Hag gives injury update

Jack Flintham

This week has outlined the big problems at Old Trafford which Ten Hag is trying to solve. United are stuck between either being defensively stable but blunt in attack and free-flowing in the forward areas but wide open at the back.

Is Ten Hag the man to solve these problems? I am not so sure. However, I do question who comes in if he is sacked and whether they can get a different tune out of this squad.

I am not so sure that while there are no credibly better options than Ten Hag that Ineos should sack him. It would just be a case of throwing money at an option which may not pay off.

Don't get me wrong though, this is not a ringing endorsement of Ten Hag and he really is in last chance saloon.

Amie Wilson

It’s been a difficult few weeks for Ten Hag and United. And while the defensive performance against Aston Villa was better than it was against Tottenham and Porto, they didn’t offer too much quality on the attacking side.

I think it says a lot when 36-year-old Jonny Evans is the stand-out player. Despite the players brought in during the summer, the fact that the team have to turn back to Evans, tells a big story.

The international break now gives the United hierarchy the chance to make a decision. While I think things at the club have to change, one question I keep coming back to is who will replace Ten Hag if he leaves?

None of the names linked are really inspiring. Giving the job to Ruud van Nistelrooy, even on an interim basis, would be a massive risk.

Therefore the lack of options, plus the point against Villa, could give Ten Hag a stay of execution. It does though feel like a matter of time unless things change dramatically after the two week break.

Liam Wood

The example I point to when having this discussion in social circles is what happened at Arsenal with Mikel Arteta before the Gunners started to re-emerge as a genuine Premier League force. It was touch and go for the one-time Barcelona player when progress - or even green shoots - were far from obvious at the Emirates Stadium.

Ten Hag will know he's on thin ice and there's certainly no guarantee he will do what Arteta has done, although it has to be said without Arsenal (yet) taking that final step. But while the Dutchman is rightly under pressure, there are a few hands he can still play, including back-to-back trophies wins at the end of each of his two seasons so far.

Nobody is saying that's what United should settle for. However, amid long-standing question marks over what's in place behind the scenes, the former Ajax manager has not yet properly had the chance to iron things out alongside the new footballing structure Ineos have in place - and that will take time whoever's at the helm.

United are not going to challenge for the title this season. However, in my opinion, he deserves a few games after October's international break to show something more. A call in the run-up to January's window can then be made.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe

United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe gave an update on Ten Hag's position last week. Ratcliffe told the BBC: "I don’t want to answer that question. I like Erik. I think he’s a very good coach but at the end of the day it’s not my call, it’s the management team that’s running Manchester United that have to decide how we best run the team in many different respects.

"But that team that’s running United has only been together since June or July. They weren’t there in January, February, March or April – Omar [Berrada] and Dan Ashworth, they only arrived in July.

"They’ve only been there, you can count it in weeks almost. They’ve not been there a long time so they need to take stock and make some sensible decisions. Our objective is very clear.

"We want to take Manchester United back to where it should be, and it’s not there yet, obviously. That’s very clear.”

Gary Neville

Former United full-back Neville told Sky Sports: "I think we all know that obviously clubs do reassess during international breaks, and I think what's happened in the last week. Anyone who was in Old Trafford last week [for the defeat against Tottenham], I don't think you even need to be in the stadium to recognise that it felt like a monumental day.

"It didn't surprise me [what Ratcliffe said]. I think if you went to [Liverpool owners] FSG and John Henry was doing an interview over in America and said who would be sacking the [Liverpool] manager, I think he'd say I'd leave it to my football department on the ground.

"It will be Dan Ashworth, it will be Omar Berrada, supported by Jason Wilcox. They'll make the decision or recommendation [on Ten Hag], and then it will be Joel Glazer, Jim Ratcliffe and Dave Brailsford who are on that sporting committee at the top of the club who will validate it.

"But one thing's for certain, when you speak to people around the club, they don't want to make that decision. They want to try and be different and get through this difficult time.

"It is their first time in this situation, and they've got a lot of evidence over the last 10 years of how to do it and how not to do it, and I suppose at this moment in time they'll want to try and make their own decision based upon what they're thinking. "

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