Manchester United have repeated ominous record that got Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sacked

The pressure is growing on Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, even if he insists that he is still on the same page as the hierarchy who opted to stick with him in the summer.

United reached another low with the manner of their 3-0 defeat to Tottenham at the weekend, a dreadful performance which didn't have the same mitigation of similar results last season.

While there is an acceptance it will take time to put things right, time is running out for a manager who no longer has the excuses of an injury crisis or lack of support from other areas of the club. Even if results aren't perfect to begin with, there has to be clear signs of progress. They have regressed in recent weeks.

Ten Hag will insist the club's new sporting board showed their faith in him over the summer, though the harsh reality is they looked at other candidates, and even interviewed a few, but opted to stick with him because there were no elite options available. Though the managerial landscape hasn’t really changed since then, Gareth Southgate is the only new available candidate after leaving England, and there is still an underlying sense Ten Hag is not fully aligned with what Ineos want from a manager.

Even the manner of Ten Hag's 'new contract' was rather misleading. It wasn't a new contract as it was initially portrayed and nothing really changed. It was merely an extension of his previous terms, rather than clear backing over a longer period of time.

United remain adamant they are still behind their under fire manager after a difficult start to the new campaign and he'll definitely be in charge over the next two matches, though there is an ominous feeling that time could be running out if there is not an immediate upturn in form.

The feeling not only stems from performances on the pitch, but the concerning fact United have now lost consecutive Premier League home matches without scoring for the first time since November 2021 when they lost 0-5 to Liverpool and 0-2 to Man City. They were the last two home games for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as manager. Solskjaer paid the price with his job. Ten Hag might soon do the same.