‘He wins them’: Ex-Red unconvinced Ten Hag is on the brink of the sack, doesn’t believe Utd will lose next two games

As it stands, Patrice Evra is confident that Erik ten Hag’s position in the dugout remains safe. 

He’s one of only a few pundits out there maintaining such a belief, as even if the manager lasts beyond the October international break, you wouldn’t expect to see him enter the new year in M16.

That’s because Manchester United are slipping further away from their rivals with every passing the week; Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea all currently occupy the Champions League places, while the Reds aren’t even in the top half of the table after their opening six matches, sitting 13th-placed.

In terms of European action, last week’s woeful performance at home to FC Twente saw United forced to settle for a draw despite leading for a large portion of their Europa League opener. As a result, they rank 20th – out of 36 teams – in the new-look format.

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They’re currently undergoing preparations for the second fixture of their UEL campaign away to FC Porto before travelling to the West Midlands to face an in-form Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon. For many, the expectation is that Ten Hag will be relieved of his duties should United walk away from the games with zero points to their name. 

Ten Hag is safe for now, claims Evra

Evra disagrees with the sentiment, though, as he weighed in (as cited by The Mirror): “It’s tough. It’s tough. I think people keep talking about Ten Hag being sacked, but it feels like he has the support from Ineos.

“We are going to have two tough games against Porto away and Aston Villa and we are going to keep saying if he loses those two games, he will be sacked. But from experience, every time he has that game where we say he is going to get sacked, he wins them. So I’m not worried.”