Ten Hag's future at Man Utd hangs in the balance

Manchester United's top brass will meet in London on Tuesday to decide the future of manager Erik Ten Hag. The meeting, which has been scheduled since last week, will be attended by Jim Ratcliffe, owner of INEOS and 27.7% of the club, Omar Berrada, executive chairman, Dan Ashworth, sporting director, and Jason Wilcox, technical director.
Ten Hag's future will be discussed, after a disastrous start to the season, the worst in the Premier League after nine games, surpassing the one the Dutchman made last season. The Red Devils, after seven games, are 14th with eight points, closer to relegation than the Champions League.
In Europe, the story does not get any better. Last-minute draws against Porto and Aston Villa in the Europa League may have saved Ten Hag's head, although the Dutchman remains the bookmakers' favourite to be the first manager to be sacked, closely followed by Gary O'Neill, who has Wolverhampton Wanderers bottom.
Asked a few days ago on the BBC, Ratcliffe said it is not his decision what happens to Ten Hag. "It's a matter for the team that runs Manchester United, who have to decide how to run the club in different ways. But this team has only been together since June or July."
Ten Hag is under contract until June 2026 after being renewed for another season this summer. Should United want to sack the manager, they will have to pay him a severance package of around £16m.
His short-term replacement could be his assistant, Ruud van Nistelrooy, who joined the club this summer. The former United striker has experience of assisting Guus Hiddink with the Dutch national team, as well as winning two titles in one season with PSV Eindhoven.