I've watched Manchester United from the stands this season - and there's same sinking feeling all over again

I was there when United lost 4-1 at Vicarage Road three years ago in what turned out to be Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s last game in charge. And many fans heading down to Villa Park last Sunday thought they would see a similar outcome and the continuation of United’s managerial merry-go-round.

Although it looks increasingly likely Ten Hag will be given more time to turn it around, I fear he has lost the confidence of United’s support. The match-going support, especially those that follow the team throughout England and across Europe take great pride in doing so and continuing to support the team whatever the results.

Despite the great successes of the 1990s and 2000s much of United’s away support are older men who grew up with the team effectively just competing for cups. I was there when United lost 4-0 at Selhurst Park last May and although the murmurings were negative, fans remained defiant in support of the team, and everyone stayed to applaud after the game.

Last season’s mitigating factors, notably the injury record and off-the-field distractions gave Ten Hag greater leeway. But there is now a clear frustration amongst supporters that in his third season in charge, and after signing another five players in the summer transfer window, there remains a lack of identity.

It has been compounded by Arne Slot’s start at Liverpool and their comfortable win at Old Trafford at the end of August. And as it was for Solskjær, a damaging defeat at home to our biggest rivals will always drastically increase the scrutiny upon the manager.

But there are evidently more issues than just the manager at United. The form of key players, most notably the captain Bruno Fernandes has been particularly concerning. His continued excellence for the last five years at United has fostered an over-reliance upon the Portuguese playmaker, who is fortunate to have not been dropped yet.

Other experienced professionals including Marcus Rashford, Casemiro, and Lisandro Martinez have all failed to perform at the levels we have seen in a red shirt And new signings Joshua Zirkzee, Manual Ugarte and Matthijs de Ligt were all on the bench for United’s trip to Villa Park last Sunday. There is already a concern that they will fit the trend throughout the last decade of new signings struggling to cope with the scrutiny and expectations of playing in front of more than 70,000 fans every week.

I feel poor performances are often misconstrued as players downing tools or not working hard enough. But in reality, it is a group of players low in confidence both in their own ability and the team’s to execute the game plan, whatever that might be.

The drubbings at home to Liverpool and Spurs stand out as the low points from the opening couple of months but personally, I felt United’s feeble performance at home to FC Twente was particularly concerning. United had just over 20 minutes to restore their advantage at home to a side who were placed in pot four of the Europa League.

But Old Trafford was flat, the players lacked urgency and Twente were never threatened by a United side who rarely score goals. And as failing to entertain at Old Trafford was the undoing for ten Hag’s countryman Louis van Gaal amongst supporters, I fear for Ten Hag.

If the immense pressure upon his job forces him into a more pragmatic approach, then any remaining support from match-going fans will evaporate. United fans will not turn on Erik ten Hag and his players but expect choruses of ‘attack, attack, attack’ to become more audible if he decides pragmatism is the route to saving his job.