It has all gone downhill extremely quickly for Erik ten Hag at Manchester United.
He came into this season with the hopes of building on an encouraging last season, armed with seven new signings but the reality has been quite different.
After the embarrassing 0-3 loss to Newcastle made it two home losses on the bounce, The Times reports that Ten Hag is now on “thin ice” with the United board.
United sit eighth in the Premier League table while their performances have been even worse. They’re already out of the Carabao Cup and on current form, could well lose to Copenhagen next week to end their European campaign.
In such a scenario, the board is concerned with his ability to turn it all around, having identified two elite alternatives.
Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim and serial Champions League winner Zinedine Zidane are reportedly admired by the board as Ten Hag’s future becomes increasingly bleak.
However, no immediate action in this regard is expected due to an upcoming upheaval at the top level.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s bid to acquire 25% of the club and take control of sporting matters means that the final decision on the manager’s future could lie on him.
That is because Richard Arnold, the current decision-maker at Old Trafford, could leave Old Trafford once Ratcliffe brings his own people, like Jean-Claude Blanc.
Erik ten Hag’s job was not thought to be under threat with the change in executive regime but results under him will need to turn for the positive soon.
Amorim and Zidane are both attractive options, mainly for the style of football they have coached at their clubs. Ten Hag was also once thought to be from the attacking school of football but United have looked laboured and ancient in attack.
The manager’s next test will be away against Fulham in the early kick-off on Saturday. As the injury list shrinks, the mitigating factors do too, and a win is sorely needed.
Otherwise, it will be the curtailing of another false dawn at United post-Sir Alex Ferguson.