Well, Erik ten Hag looks as though he will hang onto his job for a while longer, no doubt to the delight of practically anyone who doesn’t support Manchester United .
Despite leading Liverpool’s rivals to their worst-ever start in the Premier League – and breaking his own record in the process – the United hierarchy has reportedly seen fit to keep Ten Hag at the helm for a little while longer. Not content with making the wrong decision during the summer, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and co have decided to make the same call again.
Liverpool fans of course won’t mind – most of them have been watching on with glee as their rivals have got progressively worse under the Dutchman, even with another big summer of spending to back him up, while the Reds sit top of the tree.
If you look on social media though, you can find one or two Liverpool supporters demonstrating a degree of sympathy – perhaps the gap between the two sides has gotten so big that the fun of gloating has gone now for some. In any case, Jamie Carragher has joined the ranks by showing some compassion for Ten Hag .
"I think it will be tough for him,” Carragher told Sky Sports . “I have sympathy for him because I think he's been left to hang out to dry a little bit on the back of what happened in the summer with the ownership speaking to other managers.
"So I feel for him. No manager or anyone in employment would want his bosses publicly speaking to lots of different people within the game. But it's going to be tough for him to see out the season."
No doubt the majority of Liverpool fans will not share the same feelings for United’s beleaguered manager, but where Carragher is right is in the Old Trafford club’s shoddy handling of the situation.
It was no secret that United wanted to replace Ten Hag earlier this year, yet in their infinite wisdom, they not only decided to stick with him due to their FA Cup triumph and a perceived lack of options, but they also decided to hand him a new contract.
Now, with another $236m (£180m/€214.5m – as per Transfermarkt ) splashed out on some more underwhelming signings, the knives are back out for Ten Hag – but even after the most public of private meetings this week, he remains in charge. Ratcliffe and Co. have had two opportunities to make the right decision, and on both occasions have got it spectacularly wrong .
Even though he has been given a stay of execution, it does seem inevitable that Ten Hag will lose his job eventually. As much as that will come as a disappointment for Liverpool fans, they can console themselves with the knowledge that they have nothing to worry about, no matter what decision United makes.
READ MORE: FSG let Arne Slot down before he even started at Liverpool as future remains uncertain
READ MORE: 'I know Liverpool has been watching me - I am not ruling out making January transfer'
No matter how much Gary Neville wills his old club to overtake the Reds , there are no signs of that happening anytime soon. INEOS’ arrival at Old Trafford might have promised a turnaround in United’s fortunes, but so far they have shown absolutely no sign of even improving on what the Glazers have delivered.
Liverpool fans might not be best pleased with their own owners , but they can rest easy knowing United are not going to, as Sir Alex Ferguson once famously said, knock the Reds off their perch, whether Ten Hag stays or goes.
Local News
Comments / 0