Sir Jim Ratcliffe to attend Man Utd's trip to Aston Villa as INEOS chief prepares to evaluate Erik ten Hag amid sack rumours

The Red Devils’ Dutch coach was handed a contract extension over the summer, having overseen Carabao Cup and FA Cup triumphs across his two seasons at the helm. United have, however, continued to struggle for consistency despite spending big in the transfer market.

A disjointed start to the 2024-25 campaign has seen Ten Hag fall under mounting pressure, despite claims that he faces no immediate threat to his position at Old Trafford. For now, a leadership team that consists of Sir Dave Brailsford, Joel Glazer, Omar Berrada and Dan Ashworth are happy to play the long game.

That stance could, however, shift dramatically – and quickly – if positive results prove hard to come by. United, who went down 3-0 at home to Tottenham last time out, will be back in action when facing Porto in the Europa League on Thursday. Victory there would help to paper over a few more cracks.

The Athletic is reporting that INEOS chief Ratcliffe will be in the stands for a trip to Villa on Sunday – his first appearance since watching the dismal 3-0 defeat to Liverpool in early September. The Red Devils will hit another international break after that, as a window to assess and potentially make changes opens up.

Ten Hag is said to be in daily dialogue with key figures above him in United’s chain of command, with any sack talk being generated externally for now. There is, however, no ignoring the speculation in Manchester – with there suggestions that assistant coach Ruud van Nistelrooy, who remains a fan favourite from his playing days, could be handed the reins on an interim basis if the axe does fall on his fellow countryman.