Erik ten Hag carries the look of a weatherbeaten lighthouse keeper in his grey roll neck. While he wrestles with Manchester United’s ailing fortunes, part of him must wish he was holed up on some remote finger of land far away from the storm currently breaking around him.
When Ten Hag led United to their first trophy in almost seven years against Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley last season, it looked for all the world as if the Dutch disciplinarian had the club that has, over the past decade become a byword for underachievement, back on the right track at last.
Qualification for the Champions League duly arrived via United’s highest Premier League finish for five years. However the cup re-match with Newcastle on Wednesday night at Old Trafford – a game in which United had more captains than shots on goal – told a very different story.
The 3-0 defeat, coming on the back of the derby schooling last weekend, spoke of a side that was back on the rocks. The ‘bad place’ Ten Hag referred to afterwards was plain for all to see. The problem for the United manager is that while he is the man charged with extracting them from it, he is in it too.
The goodwill from his impressive first season when he stared out the super disruptor Cristiano Ronaldo, brought in two gold dust signings in Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez and revived Marcus Rashford is evaporating in front of his eyes.
Casemiro has been half the player this season when he has been available, Martinez is injured and Rashford is dormant. Confidence has gone, any clarity with it and players are abdicating their responsibilities.
United have breathtakingly quickly become utterly dysfunctional. The Theatre of Dreams has turned into the Theatre of Indifference with fans streaming out early in their thousands. How much of this is down to Ten Hag?
He has been unfortunate with the number of injuries to his defence this season. The off-field issues involving Mason Greenwood, Antony and Jadon Sancho have been an unwanted distraction.
So too the ongoing ownership issue and the possible influence Sir Jim Ratcliffe might soon have over football operations. But throw that all in and United should still be the sum of their available parts – and they have been way short of that this season.
The direction of travel under Ten Hag is not good. There has been £411million spent since his arrival so he can hardly claim not to have been backed by his employers. This is largely his team now and it is not working out.
Of his most expensive acquisitions Rasmus Hojlund has yet to score a Premier League goal and Mason Mount and Antony are struggling to get on the field. When the petulant Antony finally did so at the fag end of the City beating he seemed to be trying his best to get himself sent off.
The return to the swaggering style of old that was promised when Ten Hag arrived from Ajax has never materialised. Even when they were winning last season, United were a counter-attack-based team that soaked up pressure and hit opponents with fast breaks.
The signing of a ball-playing goalkeeper in Andre Onana hinted towards evolution but that has all been lost in this season’s fog of confusion. A losing run of two matches should not cost a manager his job but the back catalogue of indifferent performances turns up the temperature on Ten Hag.
If there is no upturn at Fulham tomorrow or Copenhagen in the Champions League then the emergency sirens really would be sounding for United’s next home game – against Luton Town – on November 11.
