Erik ten Hag gives typical verdict on the two matches he had to save Man Utd job

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag saw the bright side following a potentially important week that included a pair of draws.

The defeat at home to Tottenham at the end of September sparked speculation that he had two games to save his job. He didn’t win, but he also didn’t lose, drawing 3-3 with Porto in the Europa League before securing a goalless Premier League draw against Aston Villa.

United’s point at Villa Park dropped them to the bottom half of the league table heading into the international break. Eight points from seven games is their lowest total at this stage of a Premier League season, and one fewer than they had under Ten Hag this time last year.

The club’s leadership chose to stick with Ten Hag during the summer following last season’s eighth-place result, but a board meeting this week may have a greater impact on the Dutchman’s future. Ten Hag, on the other hand, was optimistic, seeing the previous week as a two-point gain rather than a four-point loss.

“We have come through two very tough away games,” Ten Hag told Sky Sports. “This is a team, we showed the belief and faith we have.”

He lauded his team’s defensive resilience against Villa, citing player of the match Jonny Evans at centre-back. “I believe it’s our fourth clean sheet this season. Ten Hag asserted that we had extremely strong organisation and cohesion.

“The team demonstrated good character and spirit. Determined and resilient. We virtually didn’t give up a chance; when you defend like this and have some luck, they had a good chance [via Jaden Philogene], but it was almost the only one, I believe.”

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