Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is fighting to demonstrate he should be part of the club’s future, and one former player believes it is a losing battle.

Erik ten Hag wanted to be Manchester United’s long-term solution, providing stability to a club lacking it ever since Sir Alex Ferguson‘s retirement.

Two seasons in, despite a trophy in his first, familiar questions are being raised about the manager’s future.

United are badly out of form, currently ranked in seventh place, without a league win in the last four matches.

Ineos face decision

The uncertainty over Erik ten Hag began when Manchester United were eliminated from the Champions League late last year.

And then came new investors Ineos, amid a belief from many that they would naturally want to bring in their own man.

Ineos have not given any indication either way on the matter, although Sir Jim Ratcliffe did stress a ‘critical’ short-term issue of reaching the Champions League.

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United are currently well short, 13 points back from fourth spot with a game in hand. Even if we reduce that to 10, we will have just five games remaining.

Ben Foster on Erik ten Hag

Former Manchester United player Ben Foster believes Erik ten Hag’s fate is sealed, even if he wins out for the rest of the season.

Foster cites an already divided fanbase as reason why he believes Ineos will prefer to start from scratch.

He told The United Stand: “I think there’s too much negativity around it all, regardless, he could win every game until the end of the season, there’s still going to be that 40 per cent of the fan base that are still going to be singing from the hilt that he needs to go.

“So once you start getting [that], he’s brought in too much negativity, it’s inevitable.”

When quizzed that even if Foster’s cited 40 per cent was not a ‘majority’ view, he responded to say that it is still a sizeable enough portion who want Ten Hag out, to consider the fans divided.

Back in 2022 when the manager arrived, the fans were all behind him. Slowly, via results, poor recruitment, or treatment of certain players, the goodwill has faded.

Some fans will always back the manager regardless. Others are more easily swayed. Winning the FA Cup could buy him time too. Reaching the final may be enough.

Even if Ineos decide to give Ten Hag another season, the manager’s future is not safe long-term. It’s understandable the new investors may wish to start from scratch at some stage.