05 January 2024 , 15:39
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Sir Jim Ratcliffe's time at Manchester United is still in its opening exchanges, but he could be faced with a huge decision so early in his tenure.
The INEOS founder recently purchased a 25 per cent stake in the Red Devils and is expected to oversee footballing operations, despite the fact the Glazers continue to have the majority share. One area where Ratcliffe will have a large sway is the future of manager Erik ten Hag.
The Dutchman has come under mounting pressure in recent weeks after a dismal first half of the season for the club, which has seen United slump to eighth in the table and nine points adrift of the Champions League qualification places.
Following the recent 2-1 league defeat away at Nottingham Forest, Ten Hag has now overseen 14 defeats across all competitions this term. That is more than the amount of games won, leading to a section of fans to call for the manager's dismissal.
Liverpool legend and former Match of the Day regular Mark Lawrenson has had his say on the matter, making the bold claim that Ten Hag could be just one game away from the sack ahead of Monday's trip to Wigan in the FA Cup third round.
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"After Manchester United ’s lacklustre performance against Nottingham Forest, if they lost to Wigan, Erik ten Hag would have to say, ‘thank you but no thank you’, because that’s the worst result possible for them, no disrespect to Wigan," the ex-Reds defender explained to Paddy Power.
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Sir Jim Ratcliffe has sacked managers previously and Erik ten Hag's Man Utd future continues to come under scrutiny (Manchester United/Manchester United via Getty Images)"With Sir Jim Ratcliffe, he’s gone through five managers at OGC Nice. With Manchester United, there are so many other things as well – the roof needs fixing, they will be selling people in the January transfer window, and the club needs a major overhaul, so what does he do? If Ten Hag loses at Wigan, he has to go – it's become a laughing stock."
Defeat at the DW would end any hopes United had of silverware this term, having already been dumped out of both the Carabao Cup and the Champions League. From Ten Hag's perspective, defeat could cost him more than just silverware.
As Lawrenson explained, Ratcliffe has proven from his time running Ligue 1 outfit OGC Nice that he is not afraid to part ways with an underperforming manager. Ten Hag will be out to avoid meeting the same fate.