Manchester United have given short-term contract to someone Erik ten Hag might fear

There have been just three games this season and the conversation around Erik ten Hag and whether it was the right decision to keep him in the summer has already started.

Manchester United have scraped past Fulham, lost against Brighton and were hammered by Liverpool, and it's undeniably been a disappointing start to the new campaign.

Rightly or wrongly, the discussion around Ten Hag has begun and many fans left Old Trafford frustrated last weekend, feeling the problems of last season hadn't been addressed.

The Grand Canyon-sized space in the midfield is still there and United are too easy to play through. Omar Berrada and Dan Ashworth provided Ten Hag with their backing in an interview before facing Liverpool but they recognised that results cannot continue to be poor this season.

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United have won five of their last 15 Premier League games and that is the kind of form that gets managers in trouble. This article is not lobbying for a managerial change - Ten Hag must be given time after being financially backed - but the reality is stark improvement is required.

After the international break, United play recently-promoted Southampton and they should be boosted by the return of Rasmus Hojlund and Luke Shaw from their muscle injuries.

United will be back to nearly full strength and hopefully they can kick on and go on a winning streak, but if they don't, the conversation around Ten Hag will only grow louder.

One of the arguments for keeping Ten Hag in the summer, beyond his two trophy wins, was a lack of alternatives, although there is a staff member at Old Trafford who has a