Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is a man under pressure after his misfiring side were beaten 1-0 at home by Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday
Erik ten Hag has been dealt a hammer blow as he fights for his future at Manchester United.
Fan discontent has escalated following another deflating day at Old Trafford on Saturday, with United beaten 1-0 by Crystal Palace. It was United’s fifth defeat in all competitions this season, and cemented the club’s worst league start for 34 years.
A measure of the anger among supporters can be gauged by the fact #TenHagOut was trending on social media after the game, less than 18 months after the Dutchman took charge at Old Trafford. And it comes at the start of a pivotal week for the Red Devils, with a must-win Champions League tie against Galatasaray on Tuesday before the visit of Brentford four days later.
Admittedly, the manager has faced severe disruptions to his squad, with Luke Shaw sidelined long-term and new signings Sofyan Amrabat and Mason Mount among those to have missed games with injury. Jadon Sancho and Antony have also been unavailable due to off-field issues.
And the problems are now set to be compounded by the news that key defender Lisandro Martinez faces a second operation on the metatarsal problem that ruled him out of the latter stages of last season. After limping off against Arsenal this month, the Argentinian returned for the games with Brighton and Bayern Munich, but tests this week confirmed a reoccurrence.
He could now face up to three months on the sideline, leaving Ten Hag without one of his key performers from the 2022/23 season. Indeed, club legend Paul Scholes last year outlined his importance by saying United could ill-afford to be without him. “Having a solid back four now is helping them,” he said. “Martinez coming out of that might be a worry going forward.”
Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United were beaten by Crystal Palace on Saturday ( Image: Getty Images)
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His views were echoed by ex-United centre back Rio Ferdinand, who argued on FIVE the World Cup winner was the best defender in the Premier League : “On form right now, I don’t think there’s really much argument coming from anywhere else. I think he’s dominant, he’s aggressive, he’s a leader, he communicates well, he shows character, he’s there in big moments.”
Ahead of the Palace clash, Ten Hag admitted that Martinez, 25, had been below par this season due to the issue: “That’s very sad (news of the operation), for him and the team, because he was not 100 percent fit. I think it was a big difference the Licha Martinez in the last games and the Licha Martinez we have seen in the first season here.”
Martinez arrived from Ajax last summer for a fee just short of £50million. The likes of Jamie Carragher initially questioned his height and physicality in the Premier League, but he proceeded to become a key figure for Ten Hag, starting the League Cup final win over Newcastle.
