Manchester United’s under-siege manager Erik ten Hag will clutch gratefully at any small mercy as he battles to present a convincing case that he should have a long-term future at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag faced games at Porto in the Europa League and away to Aston Villa in the past week, which were flagged as potential defining moments as United’s restructured managerial hierarchy plotted their next moves.
United may not have won either of those games – the concession of a two-goal advantage to draw 3-3 in Porto typical of the disorganised chaos that has characterised much of Ten Hag’s tenure – but a battling goalless draw at Aston Villa at least means he did not lose any.
The club’s co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe was in attendance at Villa Park alongside sidekick Sir Dave Brailsford and other members of United’s new executive group such as Dan Ashworth, Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox. Sir Alex Ferguson was there too, for good measure.
So has Ten Hag done enough to maintain the continued faith of Ratcliffe and his cohorts – and what will be central to their deliberations this week?
Did draw with Villa show signs of improvement defensively?
Ten Hag’s decision to revert back to the veteran duo of 36-year-old Jonny Evans and Harry Maguire to stem the tide against Aston Villa spoke volumes about the problems he has had making United any sort of cohesive unit.
The Dutchman ditched Matthijs de Ligt, his recent £45m signing from Bayern Munich, and Lisandro Martinez in a decision which was hardly a vote of confidence in a pair designed to be the future of his defence.
A clean sheet at Villa was almost cause for celebration given United have remained porous whatever combination he has tried – and Evans and Maguire have not played together since last November.
Since Ten Hag was appointed in summer 2022, no Premier League side have conceded three or more goals in a match in all competitions more times than United’s total of 24. And in 62 game since the start of last season, United have conceded twice on 31 occasions, the most of any Premier League side.
De Ligt emerged in the second half in place of the injured Maguire, an injury which did not look good, but Ten Hag’s failure to organise a solid defence has been a major fault in his strategy.
The excellence of Evans on his recall was credit to his enduring quality, but it is a poor reflection on those around him that Ten Hag still has to turn to a player who only returned to Old Trafford in an emergency last season and remains an important figure.
Former Republic of Ireland striker Clinton Morrison told BBC Radio 5 Live: “Jonny Evans was brilliant. He got a few kicks in the first half and he did well.
“He might not have the pace but what Evans does is he reads the game very well. He has come in and done a good job. A good decision by Erik ten Hag.”
If he is to stay as Manchester United manager, Ten Hag will need to make more of them.
