Manchester United’s 3-3 Europa League draw with Porto has not answered any questions about Erik ten Hag’s future. Thursday’s trip to Porto was the first of two games for Ten Hag to save his job as Manchester United manager.
However, a 3-3 draw in Portugal means Erik ten Hag‘s future is still hanging in the balance ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash against Aston Villa.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is expected to attend Villa Park in what is undoubtedly now one of Ten Hag’s biggest games in his career.
Manchester United rescue point with Porto draw
It is now four successive games without a win for Manchester United after an action-packed draw against Porto in the Europa League.
After the fallout from the Tottenham defeat, there was a clear response from United early on against Porto.
Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund gave United a 2-0 lead, but just as the Red Devils have done so often in Europe under Ten Hag, they crumbled defensively and threw away their good work in a matter of minutes.
In a disastrous six-minute spell, Pepe and Samu Omorodion both scored to draw the hosts level before half-time.
Things went from bad to worse after the break when Omorodion gave Porto the lead and Bruno Fernandes was sent off for the second time in one week.
With the seconds ticking away, it looked as though Ten Hag’s fate was sealed.
Harry Maguire and Christian Eriksen hand Ten Hag lifeline.
United’s 10 men eventually found an equaliser through Harry Maguire‘s injury-time winner.
The 31-year-old started the match on the bench and eyebrows were raised when Ten Hag brought on both Maguire and Jonny Evans in the second half.
However, it was a decision that had a huge pay off with Maguire latching onto Christian Eriksen‘s corner to rescue a late point and buy Ten Hag time.
It is an extremely ironic chapter in Ten Hag’s story as United boss given that Maguire and Eriksen have both come extremely close to leaving the club during his time in charge.
Maguire was stripped of the captaincy by Ten Hag and was linked with a move to West Ham in 2023. United accepted a £30m bid for Maguire but the move collapsed late on.
The same can be said for Eriksen, who was linked with an exit this summer. Eriksen admitted he could leave amid interest from Ajax and Turkish clubs.
Both ended up staying put at Old Trafford and they have now offered Ten Hag a lifeline as United manager.
