‘Imagine if Erik ten Hag were fired’ – Under-pressure Man Utd boss sees ‘crazy idea’ floated for next coaching post if axe falls at Old Trafford

The Dutch coach finds himself under pressure at Old Trafford after suffering potentially costly defeats in domestic and Champions League competition. The Red Devils lost their last fixture in the English top-flight to Crystal Palace, while back-to-back defeats have been suffered in Europe at the hands of Bayern Munich and Galatasaray.

Ten Hag did deliver Carabao Cup glory and a top-four finish during his debut campaign in English football, but he has fallen out with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho along the way and desperately needs to deliver a reversal in fortune after being given more money to spend in the transfer market.

Former Ajax striker Kenneth Perez has suggested that Ten Hag could end up retracing his steps to Amsterdam after less than 18 months in Manchester. He has told ESPN’s Voetbalpraat: “Imagine if Erik ten Hag were fired, would it be very crazy for Ajax to ask him back? Manchester United is known for the fact that things can get difficult if things don’t go well. Then it’s not a crazy idea, is it?”

Ten Hag previously won three Eredivisie titles during his time at Ajax, taking in over 200 games at the helm, but he has found consistency hard to come by with United and is waiting on big-money additions such as Mason Mount, Andre Onana and Rasmus Hojlund to come good in 2023-24.