Man United sent Erik ten Hag sack message as deadline outlined for Sir Jim Ratcliffe decision

Erik ten Hag’s position at Manchester United has endured two weeks of scrutiny following Manchester United’s dismal 3-0 defeat to Liverpool.

The Dutchman has got off to shaky starts in each of his three seasons at United, with his side left on just three points from as many games this time around. A much better showing against Southampton is expected.

There seems to be a growing disconnect between a proportion of the fanbase and the manager, with little sign so far that last campaign’s problems have been resolved. A number of former Premier League players are unsure how long he will remain in situ if there is not an uptick in form.

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Louis Saha believes a defeat to Southampton will make Ten Hag’s position at United “untenable”. He has criticised the manager for being too one-dimensional and being unable to fix the on-pitch problems that are so evident.

“There were no signs during the game [vs Liverpool] that things were going to be fixed,” he said as per The Mirror. “On Saturday, if Southampton are able to dominate against Manchester United in the same way that Liverpool dominated last week, then the situation would be untenable for Ten Hag.”

MEN Sport’s Isaac Johnson says: As Nicky Butt told me at the weekend, there is no point sacking a manager unless you have a feasible replacement lined up. In regards to potential caretaker options, there might just be.

Ex-Eredivisie bosses Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake have been brought in as assistants to Ten Hag, which looks like a safety-proofing move. But even with a loss this weekend, it seems Ineos will stick by its