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Manchester United’s poor league form has carried over onto the new season with the Red Devils currently languishing in 14th place having only eight points from seven games.
With only five goals scored and eight conceded, this is the 20-time English league champions’ worst start in the competition in 35 years.
Erik ten Hag seemed destined to be shown the door after the Old Trafford side registered their worst-ever Premier League finish last season but the FA Cup triumph meant INEOS kept him on and even backed him considerably in the summer.
But results have continued to elude United and it is almost a miracle to see the former Ajax coach survive for this long despite the dismal form of the team.
EtH’s future up in the air
There have been reports which have stated that the new co-owners have given the Dutchman limited time to spark a turnaround or else he will be served his papers.
However, following Thomas Tuchel’s appointment as England manager, the list of elite managers available for the massive job has dwindled further, something Ten Hag is well aware of.
Interestingly, Thomas Frank of Brentford, United’s next opponents, has been linked with the Old Trafford post in the past after a few successful years in London.
The Dane arrived at the west London club back in 2016 as an assistant to then-Bees coach Dean Smith. He took over once Smith moved to Aston Villa in 2018.
He subsequently took the club to the Premier League in 2021 where they have stayed, finishing 13th, 9th and 16th while playing an attractive style of football despite boasting of one of the lowest wage bills.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was full of praise for Frank recently and even suggested it was only a matter of time before he moved to an elite club.
Speaking to Talksport, the Danish manager revealed that he is happy at the Bees but refused to rule out a move to a bigger club in the future.
“There is a lot of rumours out there,” Frank said. “Every club, every coach, all kinds of situations. I have this nice little principle that I never speak about players that are not in my club because I don’t know them well enough. And I don’t speak about speculation either way.”
Thomas Frank addresses United rumours
“I’ve said many times I’m very happy at Brentford. Who knows what will happen in the future. Maybe I stay here for many years. I’m open, maybe something happens.
“But first and foremost, very happy, just working very hard every day to make the club better. That’s because it’s very difficult to predict the future.
“Who knows what will happen. How many coaches have been at the same club more than six years? Very few. “[It’s] the nature of the game, let’s put it that way.”
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his entourage will see first-hand how Frank operates when Brentford rock up to Old Trafford on Saturday. They are two points better off and have already scored eight more goals as compared to the three-time European champions.
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