INEOS drop Ten Hag statement as four stars axed - Ideal Man Utd response to Liverpool loss

It’s only taken three weeks of the season and Manchester United are already in crisis. Humbled at home to Liverpool, the pressure on Erik ten Hag is mounting, and fast.

So much so, in the aftermath of Sunday’s drubbing against their bitter rivals, ex-Liverpool star Jamie Carragher admitted he thinks Ten Hag’s sacking will come sooner rather than later.

On the ex-Ajax chief’s future, Carragher said: "If we’re being totally honest, the ownership didn’t want to keep him. They won the cup final and it put them in a position where they weren’t sure what to do.

"They were scurrying around Europe speaking to agents and other managers seeing if they could find someone better than Erik ten Hag… And listen they’re probably delaying the inevitable.”

But, as questions about Ten Hag’s future continue to be asked, Express Sport have detailed what the perfect INEOS response to Sunday’s loss should look like...

Erik ten Hag statement released by INEOS

Whether you’re pro-Ten Hag or not, it’s too early in the season to sack a manager.

Getting rid now invalidates all the work over the summer, not least at a club like United, given they spent close to £200million on new talent.

Ten Hag might not be the long-term solution for the manager’s role, but on the back of United’s poor start to the campaign, the United owners ought to throw their weight behind the under-pressure gaffer.

A public statement backing Ten Hag and insisting he’ll be in charge for the remainder of the season, or at the very least until the New Year, should quell any unwanted noise around the Dutchman’s position.

Four players dropped for strongest Man Utd starting XI

Ten Hag claimed he 'isn’t Harry Potter’ following the Liverpool loss and doesn’t have a magic wand he can wave to fix things at Old Trafford.

But if he did, one of the first things he’d do would be to get his key players back fit and firing, namely Luke Shaw and Rasmus Hojlund.

The injury-ridden duo walk straight back into the strongest United starting XI, with Shaw displacing one of Diogo Dalot or Noussair Mazraoui, while Hojlund starts instead of summer signing Joshua Zirkzee.

While Ten Hag might have to wait a while for the two to be fit, he can make some immediate changes for United’s next game by starting Amad Diallo and Manuel Ugarte in place of Marcus Rashford and Casemiro.

Amad was United’s best player against Liverpool, despite only playing 20 minutes, while Ugarte should prove a major upgrade on Casemiro following the Brazil international’s horror show over the weekend.