Under-pressure Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag gets new temporary job

Just a week after watching his side fall 3-0 to Liverpool at Old Trafford, Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is set to take charge of a game he can't lose .

The Dutchman has endured a tough start to the season this term, with Man United having won just one of their opening three games. They defeated Fulham 1-0 at Old Trafford on the opening weekend of the Premier League season, but then went on to lose to Brighton in agonising fashion late on, and were resoundingly beaten by Liverpool last weekend.

With the international break now underway, Ten Hag is set to return to the Netherlands this weekend to manage his former team Utrecht. The United boss will coach Utrecht, and some of their former players in a testimonial for the club's veteran defender Mark van der Maarel on Sunday.

The match, celebrating Van der Maarel's 17-year tenure with the Eredivisie club, will be against the current Utrecht squad, meaning technically Utrecht, and Ten Hag, who coached the Dutch side between 2015 to 2017, can not lose. Ten Hag was happy to do this favor for Van der Maarel, having received permission from United. And to make him feel at home, Utrecht even play in red and white.

As the strain mounts at Old Trafford, Ten Hag has taken a welcome break to visit his children while Nations League qualifiers are underway. A full house of nearly 24,000 is expected at Utrecht's Stadion Galgenwaard, where their former coach is sure to receive a warm welcome, reports the Mirror .

Once again, speculation around the United boss' future continues to mount following their defeat to Liverpool heading into the international break. While Ten Hag is entering his third season in charge of United, Reds boss Arne Slot comparatively was entering his third competitive game.

And alarmingly, it was Slot's side who looked by far the more cohesive of the two, with Liverpool's midfield dominating Kobbie Mainoo and Casemiro in their 3-0 win. Liverpool, one of just two sides with a perfect record alongside Manchester City, look like title contenders this season under Slot, while United, who sit 14th, look like they could be in for a long season at Old Trafford.

Liverpool.com says: "It might be nice for Ten Hag to get away from the noise surrounding Old Trafford to reset and refresh ahead of their trip to Southampton next weekend. That said, Ten Hag probably needs to take most of the blame for the noise surrounding United given how poorly they performed against Liverpool."