Erik ten Hag handed Manchester United sack timeline amid major warning and INEOS plan

Erik ten Hag reportedly has an uncertain future at Manchester United as his side face an uphill task to qualify for next season's Champions League.

United sit sixth in the table and are on the verge of claiming an unwanted record for the club's most defeats in a single Premier League season (13) after losing 3-1 to Manchester City at the Etihad on Sunday. Only in the 2013/14 and 2021-22 seasons (12), have United lost more games than Ten Hag's side this campaign.

That defeat, in which United took the lead through an early Marcus Rashford stunner before goals from Phil Foden (2) and Erling Haaland, left the Reds 11 points off Aston Villa in fourth place ahead of the final 11 games of the Premier League.

According to the Daily Mail, United players are "increasingly doubtful" that Ten Hag will be at the helm for the start of the 2024/25 season, with the feeling being that Ineos' seizing of football operations at Old Trafford will see the Dutchman sacked at the end of the current campaign.

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After a successful first term at Old Trafford in which he guided the club to League Cup success and oversaw a return to Champions League football, Ten Hag has been unable to build on such promise in the 2023/24 campaign and has faced significant pressure from as early as October when United suffered consecutive defeats to Crystal Palace and Galatasaray.

After that shock 3-2 defeat to the Turkish outfit at Old Trafford, the Reds had lost six of their first 10 games of the season across all competitions and left Ten Hag with no choice but to admit his side "have to do better" after being booed