'This felt like the end for Ten Hag - if not now, very soon'

Manchester United head Erik 10 Hag wore nan haunted, hunted look of personification reaching nan extremity of nan roadworthy aft Tottenham Hotspur inflicted abject embarrassment astatine Old Trafford.

Since United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and nan club's restructured level yet chose to support religion pinch Ten Hag successful nan summer, he has been placed successful a position wherever he is only 1 bad conclusion distant from a situation and unforgiving scrutiny.

By that measure, nan 54-year-old is moving retired of clip aft a United capacity that was arsenic shambolic, incompetent and indisciplined arsenic immoderate he has presided complete successful his tenure.

Winning nan EFL Cup 18 months agone and past season's melodramatic FA Cup last triumph against Manchester City, which efficaciously kept Ten Hag successful a job, person been nan highs among galore lows – but it does not get overmuch little than this.

Ten Hag's Spurs counterpart Ange Postecoglou has been nether nan microscope himself aft an indifferent commencement to nan season, but Sunday's 3-0 rout was different outstanding measurement connected nan roadworthy to rehabilitation, a 4th consecutive triumph since losing nan northbound London derby astatine location to Arsenal.

United, successful nan sharpest of contrasts, were a shambles – a rabble.

The large mobility looming complete Old Trafford arsenic nan rainfall lashed down connected thousands of reddish seats vacated by supporters who had stuck admirably by their broadside was this: tin Ten Hag survive? And if truthful for really long?

This is simply a head who is looking progressively retired of his depth. He has pulled backmost from nan precipice before, astir notably successful nan summer, but is backmost location again. This felt very overmuch for illustration nan extremity - if not now, past very soon.

From nan first whistle, Spurs were each complete United for illustration a rash, nan reside group successful nan 3rd infinitesimal erstwhile nan magnificent Micky van de Ven raced for illustration a achromatic flash from wrong his ain half, leaving a succession of United players successful his slipstream earlier mounting up Brennan Johnson's elemental finish.

United started dreadfully and went into a accelerated decline, someway surviving until half-time arsenic Spurs carved them unfastened connected countless occasions but could not adhd a second.

Ten Hag claimed nan reddish paper shown to skipper Bruno Fernandes 3 minutes earlier half-time "changed nan game". It did not. United's head is deluding only himself if he believes this. It made United's task moreover harder, but Spurs were threatening to tally riot moreover earlier Fernandes' dismissal.

If it was decided to shape a world straw-clutching championship, Ten Hag would person a bully chance of winning pinch that one.

And let's not hide this was a Spurs broadside stripped of their injured talisman Son Heung-min. Son's replacement Timo Werner really spared United further punishment, confirming he remains a consenting trier but a thoroughly unreliable finisher, doubly shooting lamely astatine United keeper Andre Onana erstwhile cleanable through.

It was a reliable time for Ten Hag's latest signing, Manuel Ugarte, who sewage obscurity adjacent nan Spurs midfield, while Joshua Zirkzee, hooked astatine half-time, arsenic yet shows nary motion of adding immoderate of nan cutting separator he was bought for astatine a costs of £36.54m.

United now dishonesty successful 12th successful nan Premier League having mislaid 3 of their first six games, nan figures adding to nan increasing belief that nan extremity crippled is looming into position for Ten Hag. They are ominous.

With memories of nan 3-0 nonaccomplishment to Liverpool still fresh, United person now mislaid consecutive location convention games without scoring a goal.

The past clip this happened nan manager, successful that lawsuit Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, was sacked soon aft losing 5-0 to Liverpool and 2-0 to Manchester City successful November 2021.

United were wide unfastened connected Sunday, failing to property Spurs to immoderate effect. Dejan Kulusevski unsocial created 9 chances, nan astir by a visiting subordinate successful a Premier League crippled astatine Old Trafford since records started successful 2003-04.

And nan wide diminution tin beryllium underscored by nan truth United person now mislaid 23 Premier League matches by 3 aliases much goals successful nan past 424 games, much than they did successful 1,035 convention games nether Sir Alex Ferguson, erstwhile it happened connected 22 occasions.

United's existent full of 7 points is their associated fewest aft six games of a Premier League play and they person only scored less goals erstwhile astatine this shape - 4 successful 2007-08 - than they person truthful acold this term.

These statistic dishonesty for illustration wreckage astir Ten Hag's feet.

One aged head erstwhile stated that you tin smell a nine successful problem erstwhile you locomotion into nan stadium. There is surely a very worrying stench astir Old Trafford.

The sadistic reality, aliases truthful it has seemed, is that Ten Hag is efficaciously head by default aft Ratcliffe and his sidekick Sir Dave Brailsford could not find a suitable successor successful nan summer. There are nary signs of immoderate discernible improvement, aliases grounds to make a lawsuit for further religion successful Ten Hag.

It was not simply nan truth Spurs were successful a different people pinch quality, pace, intent and organisation. It was much troubling than that.

There was nary style to United. They lacked guidance and leadership. There is nary identity, thing to explain what strategy Ten Hag has and, arsenic telling arsenic everything else, location was a hopeless deficiency of subject wrong nan team. At times they looked retired of control.

Fernandes had conscionable been sent disconnected erstwhile Mason Mount emerged arsenic a substitute conscionable earlier half-time. His first publication was a senseless situation that flattened Rodrigo Bentancur, earning him a yellowish paper that put him nether contiguous pressure.

Lisandro Martinez was nary amended erstwhile he cynically scythed down nan fantabulous James Maddison arsenic United unravelled.

If Ten Hag emerges unscathed from this humiliation, 1 that will trial nan patience of United's leadership, nan task does not get immoderate easier pinch a travel to Porto successful nan Europa League connected Thursday earlier a sojourn to Aston Villa connected Sunday.

Spurs fans taunted Ten Hag pinch nan time-honoured "You’re getting sacked successful nan morning" chant. This remains to beryllium seen.

This was a acheronian hopeless time for Erik 10 Hag, 1 that had each nan emotion that nan credits mightiness soon beryllium rolling connected his clip successful complaint astatine Manchester United.