Erik ten Hag is about to learn where Manchester United stand with early top four hopes

Premier League managers have long pointed to the magical 10-game mark as a reliable gauge for how the season will unfold.

That milestone, which usually arrives in November, represents just under a third of the campaign's fixtures having been played and managers believe it gives a strong idea of how a team will fare in the remaining months.

Manchester United are only five games into the new season and only halfway to that magical number of games, but what could lie ahead is already starting to become clear following the team's underwhelming performances.

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United were fortunate to win 1-0 against Wolves on the opening day and an analyst from the opposition team in the press box that night said he was encouraged by the performance because they wouldn't play sides of that quality each week.

Although Wolves were among the favourites for relegation at the start of the season, their performances at Old Trafford suggested they'd been underestimated, at least until they were defeated 4-1 against Brighton a few days later.

Wolves have won just once against Everton from their five games and they were unlucky to get nothing against United, which with the benefit of hindsight, provides some context to where Erik ten Hag's team currently are.

United have six points in the league and their second victory came against Nottingham Forest, who took an early two-goal lead before surrendering to a comeback thanks to goals from Christian Eriksen, Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes.

The team's performances have been unconvincing and against better opposition, like Tottenham, Brighton and Bayern Munich, it's been the same story each game: make a