'Erik ten Hag doesn't put himself in the firing line – it's never the fault of his tactics'

Erik ten Hag doesn't take enough ownership of Manchester United's problems, according to former Red Devils striker Louis Saha, who believes time is running out for the Dutchman

Erik ten Hag has been slammed for not taking more responsibility for Manchester United's failings.

The Dutchman is once again under mounting pressure following a torrid start to the season which sees United languishing down in 14th place in the Premier League and winless in the Europa League. In light of their dismal form, high-level talks were held this week involving Sir Jim Ratcliffe and other United executives to discuss Ten Hag's future.

Ratcliffe was seen at the INEOS offices in London, joined by the company's head of sport Sir Dave Brailsford and United sporting director Dan Ashworth. Other attendees included co-owner Joel Glazer, chief operating officer Collette Roche and chief financial officer Roger Bell.

The hard-fought draw at Aston Villa before the international break may have bought Ten Hag a little more time, but patience is running out amongst supporters and ex-players, including Louis Saha.

The former France striker has become frustrated by Ten Hag’s communication, insisting that winning the League Cup and the FA Cup do not make up for their abject league performances. Saha says Ten Hag needs to front up more and look at his own tactics rather than blame players or injuries.

“If the momentum is going the way it is for Manchester United, it will be hard for Erik ten Hag to feel supported,” Saha, who scored 42 goals in 120 United games between 2004 and 2008, told Paddy Power.

“He can say all the positive things he likes, as he has the role to do that as the manager and talk about injuries and other topics. But at some point, we’ll need to see something working.”

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Saha added: “I’m getting frustrated with his communication. He can’t say winning trophies is enough – it's not. You can’t lose all these games and almost accept it. I'm not saying he is accepting it, but he’s almost defending it which is unacceptable.

“He doesn’t put himself in the firing line, it's mostly his players or injuries, but it’s never his tactics.”

Pinpointing issues within the team Saha, said: “The problem is that I don’t see any links in the midfield. There’s nothing between Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford, for example.

“These links, when you have more than one or two, mean that those guys don’t need to talk or move, they know each other so well. I don’t see that with United. I think that’s what all the fans are saying, that they don’t see the path. They are finding excuses all the time.”

It is not yet clear if a decision has been made on Ten Hag's future but the Dutchman is said to be confident of still being in charge for their home clash with Brentford after the international break.

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