Two years ago, former Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho was sacked by Tottenham Hotspur days before a Wembley final in a rather desperate attempt to fire a rocket up the backside of an underperforming squad.
After Erik ten Hag‘s dreadful second season in the Old Trafford dugout went from crisis-hit to catastrophic away at Selhurst Park, it was tempting to wonder if Ineos would take a leaf out of Daniel Levy’s playbook.
If Crystal Palace can put four past Manchester United, how many goals will bitter rivals Man City rack up when Kevin de Bruyne, Erling Haaland and co go eyeball-to-eyeball with Casemiro and Jonny Evans in the FA Cup final three weeks from now?
That is certainly a question that will haunt the dreams of all who bleed red between now and May 25th.
Manchester United will not sack Erik ten Hag before season ends
United In Focus has been told by HITC insider Graeme Bailey, via sources close to Man United on Tuesday lunchtime, that Erik ten Hag will not lose his job with games still remaining.
However, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has already made it clear that it will be results and form which dictate the Dutchman’s long-term future.
United have also dismissed the idea of bringing in an interim head coach to see the club through until the end of May.
Michael Owen had suggested that Steve McClaren should be thrust into the role, while Jose Mourinho himself has also been touted.
No interim boss at Old Trafford
The Telegraph also insist that Ten Hag will not suffer the same fate that befell Mourinho, with the Dutchman set to stay.
Man United ‘insiders’ remain clear that no decision will be made on the under-fire Dutchman until the summer, although the report does add that a number of players in the Red Devils dressing room feel a departure is all-but inevitable at this stage.
“The news I have is that there won’t be any change in the dugout between now and the FA Cup final,” adds Alex Crook, the Man United-supporting talkSPORT reporter clearly hearing the same assurances.
“Expectation on both Ten Hag’s and the club’s part is that he will be in charge at Wembley? Who knows, perhaps he will be able to save the season. I think that looks highly unlikely based on what we saw last night.
“I thought the scene of the fans applauding the players and the players just looking back at them blankly was very reminiscent of Watford in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s finest game in charge.
“It is very hard to make a case for Ten Hag staying but he will be in charge at Wembley.”
Ten Hag is, perhaps, just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Man United’s problems. But a humiliating end to the club’s worst ever Premier League season means even his biggest backers are starting to feel their confidence shake.
How much blame should be apportioned to him for an unprecedented series of injuries is up for debate – though it’s surely more than ‘bad luck’ at this stage – but it is certainly Ten Hag who must be held accountable both for a flawed tactical system and the make-up of a side which collapsed at Selhurst Park with seven of his signings in the starting XI.
That includes the eternally-ineffective Antony, the lumbering Casemiro and a Christian Eriksen playing like a man eligible for a free bus pass.
| Injury type | Projected return | |
| Raphael Varane | Muscular injury | Late May |
| Mason Mount | Unknown | Unknown |
| Victor Lindelof | Hamstring injury | Late May |
| Luke Shaw | Thigh injury | Late May |
| Harry Maguire | Muscle injury | Late May |
| Anthony Martial | Groin injury | Late May |
| Tyrell Malacia | Knee injury | Unknown |