Erik ten Hag is failing on four of the five counts as Manchester United manager

What is compounding Manchester United's defeats are the post-match press conferences. Erik ten Hag does not sound like a United manager.

The Ten Hag of last season briefly resurfaced at Molineux last month. While others were still coming down from the high of Kobbie Mainoo's 97th-minute decider, Ten Hag was constructively critical, exasperated that United's best half of football this season was blemished by conceding three goals.

Ten Hag has clutched at straws after successive Premier League defeats to Fulham and Manchester City. United "could've won this game, we should've won this game. The team showed great character" against Fulham, victors at Old Trafford for the first time since October 2003.

There were "really small margins" against City, who had seven times as many shots at goal as United. Could've. Should've. It doesn't wash. United have lost 16 games this season, have mustered as many Premier League goals as Luton and have a minus goal difference.

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There have been alarming parallels between Ten Hag and his compatriot Louis van Gaal during his second season at United. Ten Hag's United have the same number of points after 27 games as Van Gaal's stultifying side in 2015-16 and only one more league goal. There is an outside chance the incumbent Dutch United manager also bows out with a fifth-place finish and an FA Cup win.

"It's not that big when we have everyone on board," Ten Hag said of the chasm between City and United, "we can be competitive and I think also we showed, for instance, in the cup final against them when it's really close." It was close on the