HAG AND PINEAPPLE
Erik ten Hag brutally trolled by Domino’s as Man Utd manager faces sack with crunch talks tomorrow
His future is set to be decided
DOMINO'S has taken a hilarious dig at Erik Ten Hag, as pressure continues to mount on the Manchester United boss.
The restaurant chain poked fun at the Dutchman, putting a van outside Old Trafford with the message "We’re hiring (not you, Erik)".
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In an accompanying social media post, they also wrote: "You need the right people for the top jobs."
It comes as speculation continues to mount about his future at the club following a run of poor results.
A spokesperson for Domino’s said: “Based on his performance, it can’t be too long before Ten Hag is given the sack.
“It coincides with us gearing up for our busiest time of year where we need people to join our team.
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“We are looking for people who are results-driven... so not one for Ten Hag unfortunately.”
The 54-year-old’s position as United manager is under threat following an uninspiring 0-0 draw against Aston Villa on Sunday.
That comes off the back of a 3-3 draw against Porto midweek, with United throwing a 2-0 lead to the Portuguese team, and a 3-0 drubbing at home to Tottenham Hotspur.
The goalless draw leaves the Red Devils languishing in 14th place in the Premier League – the club’s worst start to a season.
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And key decision makers at United are set to meet on Tuesday, with Ten Hag’s future hanging in the balance.
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Why NOBODY is the right man to replace Erik ten Hag at Man Utd
SunSport's DAVE KIDD says Erik ten Hag's time at Man Utd is up… and explains what's wrong with all the potential candidates to replace him.
THIS is a mid-table squad at an underachieving club, with a lot of unwanted players on big money.
And Ratcliffe is an instinctive cost-cutter who may not pay top dollar to the next manager.
If this club wasn’t called ‘Manchester United’, it wouldn’t be an especially desirable job.
The good news for United is that their new sporting director, Dan Ashworth, is a very decent judge of a manager.
He has been instrumental in three previous managerial appointments — Gareth Southgate for England, Graham Potter for Brighton and Eddie Howe for Newcastle.
None were wildly popular at the time, all were conspicuous successes.
Interestingly, Ashworth’s No 1 choice for the Newcastle job was Unai Emery, who turned him down to stay at Villarreal but has since proved that judgment right by excelling at Aston Villa.
Emery may well deliver the coup de grace to Ten Hag on Sunday — especially with Bruno Fernandes suspended and Kobbie Mainoo an injury doubt.
And the Spaniard would be an excellent fit for United — yet there is next to no chance that he would abandon Villa’s Champions League campaign to take the Old Trafford job, not least because he isn’t a stark raving madman.
Howe would be another good candidate to succeed Ten Hag but, although he has become frustrated on Tyneside, the Saudis would surely not allow Ratcliffe to poach Howe, as they reluctantly did with Ashworth.
Potter is available but his Chelsea experience and lack of charisma would make him a tough sell.
Which brings us to Southgate, who remains close with Ashworth and is an excellent man-manager who was seriously considered by United last spring.
Yet, despite having led England to two of their three major finals, Southgate’s reputation for over-caution was only enhanced during the Euros.
Mauricio Pochettino, passed over twice by United, is out of the equation having taken the United States job.
Thomas Tuchel would be a popular and gettable option but, despite being a fine coach and a very engaging man, he is considered something of a loose cannon.
Likewise, Roberto De Zerbi, now at Marseille after his brief Brighton stint sparkled then fizzled out.
Kieran McKenna — a gifted former United coach who has won back-to-back promotions with Ipswich Town — is an intriguing candidate but the imminent vacancy may come a year or so too soon.
Marco Silva, the extremely under-rated Fulham boss, has been on United’s radar and should not be discounted.
Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim, last season’s ‘next big thing’, was passed over by West Ham as well as Liverpool this summer and is not an easy man to pin down.
Zinedine Zidane, who has taken over from Alan Curbishley as a 20-1 shot for every Premier League job, is a ‘figurehead’ manager and not an Ashworth type.
Ruud van Nistelrooy, the former United goal machine who joined Ten Hag’s coaching team in the summer is the bookies’ favourite. Simply because he’s in the building and he’s Dutch.
So, yes, getting rid of Ten Hag is the easy part.
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