Must-win Manchester United games to save Erik Ten Hag’s job

Manchester United are in turmoil again, and the Red Devils are close to destroying the reputation of another top coach.

Since Sir Alex Ferguson retired and left the club, United has not had a successful manager despite splashing millions on new players every summer.

Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, David Moyes and Erik Ten Hag are just a few bosses they have had since the legendary manager retired.

The latter joined them last season after a successful spell on the bench of Ajax and instantly improved them on and off the pitch.

Manchester United won the League Cup last season and reached the finals of the FA Cup while qualifying for the Champions League.

He was backed with a top midfielder like Casemiro and added Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund to his squad in this campaign.

Manchester United fans always protest the ownership of the Glazer family and insist they want them to sell up and leave, but they will have better owners than the Americans?

The Glazers have invested more money in the club than most owners have done in England, and the club’s problem is beyond having poor ownership.

Ten Hag has a good reputation and seems to retain the support of the fans, but that will only be for a while, and we look at must-win matches the Red Devils will play in the next few weeks.

Fans who buy Man United tickets know their team has been in poor shape for some time but expect the team to win these matches.

If they lose or draw them, we anticipate the supporters turning against the manager despite the support he has received from the owners so far.

Fulham vs Manchester United, Premier League

The Red Devils will face Fulham at the start of November in one of their toughest game since the campaign began.

Fulham is a tricky team and every top side that has faced them can tell how difficult they make life for their opponents.

Marco Silva has done a remarkable job at the club and the departure of Aleksandar Mitrovic has hurt them, especially in attack, but they still have enough players to cause anyone trouble.

The Cottagers are not a team that will fight for relegation, instead, we expect them to battle for a European spot so United will face a formidable opponent.

However, United has a good record in this fixture as they have won on all their last five visits to this ground.

This increases the likelihood of them defeating Fulham, and failure to do so will increase the pressure on Ten Hag.

Copenhagen vs Manchester United, Champions League

United defeated Copenhagen narrowly when both clubs met in the reverse of this fixture and will know a tougher task waits for them in Denmark.

The Danish side are the whipping boys in their group, but they have shown some resilience in all their matches.

After nearly picking a point at Old Trafford, they will be confident in getting something from this game in front of their fans.

United knows they cannot drop points against Copenhagen regardless of where the fixture is being played, so this is a must-win game.

The victory in the first leg was narrow, but it was an important point for their confidence and hopes of making the knockout stages of the Champions League.

They will find it harder to win in Denmark, but there will be no place to hide if they lose and the future of Ten Hag will be thrown into further doubt with any result apart from a win.

Manchester United vs Luton, Premier League

Luton has struggled to win Premier League games, and the Hatters are already one of the favourites to be relegated at the end of this season.

However, these are still very much early days, and they remain confident of picking up enough points to survive in the English top flight for another season.

The Hatters will be one of United’s opponents in the coming weeks and will feel this is the best time to face the Red Devils.

This match is a fixture that United fans should ideally feel confident about winning even if they field a team of youngsters from their academy.

Luton is no match for the quality in the United ranks, but this is the Premier League and we cannot underestimate anyone.

Ten Hag would be in a good position if United wins their previous games before this match and that will make the outcome of this fixture not so important.

But if his players have failed to get maximum points before facing Luton, losing this game could be the last straw for him as a coach of the Red Devils.

The last time these clubs met in the Premier League was in 1992, and United won that match 5-0.

They also faced each other in the League Cup in 2020, with the Red Devils winning 3-0 away from home.

There is no other result but a win for them in this fixture, and a dropped point will cause a fan revolt against Ten Hag’s reign.

Everton vs Manchester United, Premier League

Sean Dyche is doing an amazing job on the bench of Everton this term after they fought off relegation over the last two terms.

The Toffees look to be back to form and are in line to end this season in midtable, which will be remarkable.

Their upturn in form makes them one team that could defeat Manchester United during this run of must-win games for the Red Devils.

The Toffees have recovered some important attacking players whose return to form has complimented the defensive solidity they have had.

In this fixture, they will look to catch United on the counter while staying solid and allowing the Red Devils to have all the ball.

This type of match is hard for the Red Devils to win, and it is so difficult to break Everton down at Goodison Park.

Depending on the outcome of the previous matches, losing this game may not be the end of the road for Ten Hag at United.

Galatasaray vs Manchester United, Champions League

United will visit Galatasaray in Turkiye with revenge in mind after they lost the reverse fixture 3-2 at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils worked hard to return to the Champions League at the end of last season, but they have not looked very confident in the competition.

Their win against Copenhagen the last time is the only victory they have and they risk losing out on qualifying for the knockout stage.

Bayern Munich are favourites to top their group, and everyone expected United to finish second, but as things stand, that honour could go to Gala.

This is why winning this game is very important to both clubs, and United fans will want all three points or nothing.

Gifting Gala six points over two legs will be terrible and the Red Devils know that, so we expect them to visit Turkey with a vengeance in mind and win.

Ten Hag was one of the most coveted managers in Europe before he was named the manager of United, and the gaffer has the pedigree to make Manchester United one of the world’s top clubs again.

However, he also knows it will be a tough few games ahead as his players’ confidence and morale are at an all-time low.

The club’s owners will not want to pull the plug on their manager so soon, but if results do not improve and United struggles to win these matches, Ten Hag could be gone.