Man Utd's fresh stance on Erik ten Hag after Thomas Tuchel takes England job

Erik ten Hag began the international break in grave danger of losing his job after Manchester United's worst-ever start to a season.

He has ended it with a little more breathing space, following Thomas Tuchel's appointment as England boss and his predecessor Gareth Southgate's decision to take a prolonged break before returning to management.

Tuchel and Southgate were among the favourites to succeed Ten Hag at United if Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his football executive team decided they required a change of manager and a new voice within the dressing-room.

But with both now out of the running, Ten Hag can breathe a little easier, although the Dutchman knows he must oversee an immediate improvement in results and performances if he is to keep his job beyond the next international break.

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United have seven games – four in the Premier League, two in the and one in the EFL Cup – between now and then, with that run likely to determine Ten Hag's fate, even though two of the candidates to replace him are now off the market.

Ratcliffe spoke with Tuchel in the summer about taking over at United, with the pair holding talks in Monaco, but the latter decided to walk away from the Old Trafford job, which ultimately saw Ten Hag stay in position – for now at least.

Will United regret not making a bigger play for Tuchel, now he is with England and off-limits until at least after the World Cup in 2026? Possibly, but given the 51-year-old German decided to end his talks with United, there seems little more Ratcliffe and the United hierarchy could have done to persuade him to take the job.

For Ten Hag though, there is no escape from the pressure he is under and the need for an immediate upturn in results, starting with Saturday's visit of Brentford to Old Trafford.

That is followed by a trip to Istanbul to face Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce, where the former United boss will relish piling fresh misery on his old club and showing he is still a managerial force, despite being offloaded by the Red Devils nearly six years ago.

Included in that crucial seven-game run for Ten Hag are two meetings against , one in the league and one in the EFL Cup, as well as league clashes with and , and a home Europa League tie to PAOK Salonika.

But of immediate concern to Ten Gag is Saturday's game, where in the opposition dugout will be another potential successor to him in Brentford boss Thomas Frank.

Frank's impressive work at Brentford has not gone unnoticed by those in charge at United, with the 51-year-old Dane a serious contender should Ten Hag be replaced, and Saturday's game a potential audition for him for the Old Trafford job. Last season, United needed two added-time goals from Scott McTominay to beat Brentford at Old Trafford.

Ten Hag can no longer call on McTominay, who is now at Napoli and has scored twice in three games for the Serie A side. Ten Hag could do with someone with that knack of finding the net, with United having failed to score in their last three Premier League games.

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