Erik ten Hag’s Man Utd have lost 10 of their 21 games this season (Photo: Getty)
Erik ten Hag will get sacked if Manchester United lose their next three games, starting with Wednesday’s clash against Chelsea.
That is the opinion of Paul Merson, who has labelled United’s performance in their defeat at Newcastle as ‘shocking and embarrassing’.
The Red Devils’ woeful season continued over the weekend as St. James’ Park, with the result leaving them seventh in the Premier League, nine points off leaders Arsenal.
And things are even worse in the Champions League, as they sit bottom of their group with their chances of reaching the knockouts resting entirely on beating Bayern Munich and hoping that Copenhagen draw with Galatasaray.
The players have come under scathing criticism, while Ten Hag is under serious pressure, especially with rumours abound that his relationship with his squad is deteriorating.
And Merson believes that the next three games could determine the manager’s fate – though he does believe United will get a result when Chelsea visit Old Trafford.
‘I’m not exaggerating when I say that Manchester United’s game against Newcastle was one of the most one-sided matches I’ve ever seen in the Premier League,’ the Arsenal legend wrote for Sportskeeda.
Chelsea recorded an impressive win against Brighton last time out (Photo: Getty)
‘I thought it was embarrassing. I was shocked by the way United played and the lack of effort they put in.
‘Chelsea, on the other hand, got a great result [against Brighton]. I didn’t see them winning the game after they went down to ten men, but they held their own, and fair play to them. Chelsea have the players to have a go at United, and I think this is going to be an exciting game.
‘Chelsea are a more settled team now – you know their starting eleven, and if you take away that bad half against Newcastle, they’ve been good recently. They have a few defensive problems, but they did very well against Brighton with ten men.
‘Manchester United are one of those teams that turn up in these games. They’ve had two bad games on the trot, but they do have a knack for keeping their head just above the water.
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‘If they lose to Chelsea, Bournemouth, and Bayern, I don’t see how Ten Hag keeps his job. I do think they’ll beat Bournemouth, however, and they could do well against a Bayern Munich side that has already qualified for the Round of 16.
‘Chelsea haven’t been great defensively, and Man United are all over the place. They let in three goals against Galatasaray and could’ve conceded ten against Newcastle.
‘I’m going to go in swinging with my prediction for this game – I expect a high-scoring draw. Prediction: Manchester United 3-3 Chelsea.’
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