Joe Cole makes ‘tough’ Erik ten Hag prediction ahead of crunch Man Utd fixtures

Joe Cole believes Erik ten Hag will be sacked by Christmas even if the Manchester United boss can quell mounting pressure with results against Porto and Aston Villa.

After convincing defeats against Liverpool and Tottenham, Ten Hag’s future is coming under intense speculation with the Red Devils languishing in 13th place in the Premier League table.

Having given the Dutchman a stay of execution following his FA Cup heroics in the summer, United’s senior hierarchy have retained their support in Ten Hag for now.

Speaking earlier in the week, the United boss insisted he was not thinking about the possibility of being sacked, but reports suggest he may have just two games to save his job, starting at Porto in the Europa League tonight.

Three days later, United travel to face an in-form Aston Villa and although Cole believes the Red Devils could bounce back and claim a much-needed result, the former Chelsea attacker still fears Ten Hag could run out of luck before too long.

‘It’s a really tough part of our job because you get asked about something like this but at the end of the day it’s Erik ten Hag’s livelihood,’ Cole said on TNT Sports.

‘For the last 18 months, he’s been on the ropes so many times and he’s pulled a result out.

‘They can go and get results tonight and at the weekend but I think ultimately the rhythm is not quite there and there’s just not getting where they need to be with Erik.

‘I’ll be surprised if he’s still in the job at Christmas and it’s never a good part of my job to say things like that but that’s how it looks.’

Peter Crouch, meanwhile, fears the pressure could get insurmountable for the Dutchman should he fail to get a win against Porto or Aston Villa in the coming days

‘There’s been some real disappointment and a lot of talk about the manager,’ he said. ‘Quite often when there has been talk, he’s bounced back and he’s going to have to need that again.

‘He’s consistently answering questions about his job and if they lose again tonight or at the weekend the heat will be bigger.’

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