Erik ten Hag’s future at risk if Manchester United lose to Southampton

Manchester United have started the season in an unimpressive manner, winning their first match before losing to Brighton and Liverpool.

United return to Premier League action at Southampton and their former striker Luis Saha believes the club will have no choice but to sack Erik ten Hag if the club loses on Saturday.

Southampton have lost all three of their top-flight games so far this season and former striker Saha believes Ten Hag’s position would become untenable if he did not mastermind a win on the south coast.

Asked if Ten Hag could be sacked with defeat at Southampton, Saha told Betfred: “I think so. Against Liverpool, the issue was the performance rather than just the result, so Erik’s under pressure because the team isn’t playing well.

There were no signs during the game that things were going to be fixed. 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 Erik ten Hag.”

“You need to find different ways to beat the best sides and that’s something that every manager needs to do, but at the same time your philosophy really has to always be in line with a foundation that the players can really understand, know what the manager is asking of them and know what the needs are during the game.

“There’s a lot of people in punditry and the media, as well as the fans, who are seeing things that they can’t understand when they watch Manchester United at the moment.

“We saw Arne Slot and Liverpool destroy the tactics of Erik ten Hag in their last game. At this moment, it’s not about personalities, it’s about seeing a plan that the players can identify with and cause damage with.

“Sometimes we see players play as individuals or not being able to respond correctly but at the moment, the problem is the game plan. Currently, we can’t identify a clear game plan and that’s why Erik’s being criticised. Things need to improve.”

Ten Hag was rewarded with a new contract after winning the FA Cup last season, despite overseeing one of the worst Premier League campaigns in the club’s history.