Erik ten Hag has run out of excuses – his time as Man Utd boss could end at Villa Park

Maguire’s late rescue may simply postpone the inevitable, with the unmistakable sense that Ten Hag is nearing the end of his tenure at United, a notion shared by his predecessors David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The indicators of their imminent departure were obvious long before United called it quits, and Ten Hag’s season has followed a similar pattern: humiliating defeats, a squad with no identifiable identity, and a manager who appears to have no means of turning things around.

When it was pointed out to Ten Hag that, from the outside, there is a deep-seated malaise among his squad that he is unwilling to address, the United manager bristled and defended his record this season, effectively defending the indefensible. “I think in the first five games of the season we had three clean sheets, so I wouldn’t address it in that way,” Ten Hag told the crowd. “So we can defend well as a team, and we are extremely capable of doing so at a place like Crystal Palace, as well as against Fulham.Erik ten Hag’s reasons rang hollow after Manchester United put on yet another chaotic and disorganised display against Porto; his resignation is now imminent.

Listening to Erik ten Hag in his post-match news conference after Manchester United squandered a 2-0 lead to draw 3-3 against Porto was like being cast as Bill Murray in Groundhog Day.

Ten Hag offered the same reasons – or justifications, depending on your perspective – for United’s ongoing decline in his third season in command. New players require time to adjust, young players require patience to mature, the club must progress, and you must trust the process, with the usual reminder that United has won two titles in two seasons under Ten Hag.

All were offered as compensation for yet another catastrophic performance, which highlighted why the 54-year-old is going to be fired. Unless his side pulls off a major shock and wins at Aston Villa on Sunday, Ten Hag is almost certain to be on his way, leaving United to begin the search for a sixth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down 11 years ago, following the club’s last league title win.

United arrived two hours late in Porto ahead of the game, their flight delayed by storms and fog, which seemed entirely appropriate for a manager and club that had been battered from all sides in recent days, following a humiliating 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham, followed by the capitulation in Portugal, which required a 91st-minute equaliser from Harry Maguire to avoid another crushing defeat.

“But they have to do it consistently, and if one, two, or three guys switch off, it’s a problem that we need to tackle. We just begun the season, so we have time to resolve this issue, but we can’t wait too long, and the players must accept responsibility for defending such occasions.”

Ten Hag stated there is still time to turn the season around, but with each shambolic performance and dismal outcome, he is quickly running out of that valuable resource. Only four weeks ago, newly-appointed United CEO Omar Berrada sat in the opulent boardroom at Old Trafford and proclaimed that Ten Hag had the unwavering backing of him and the rest of the football management staff, even if results and performances did not meet expectations.

That position has been put to the test in recent weeks, with humiliating back-to-back 3-0 home losses to Liverpool and Tottenham, as well as two meaningless draws to start their Europa League campaign.

On Sunday, around 4 p.m., following the game against Villa, we will find out whether the board still believes in Ten Hag and whether his players are still playing for him. As things stand, the situation is looking increasingly dismal for the Dutchman, who, like his immediate predecessors, has discovered that one of the most sought managerial positions in international football is also the most difficult to excel in.