Despite Thursday night’s dramatic 3-3 draw at Porto, ERIK ten Hag’s job is still in jeopardy ahead of Sunday’s match at Aston Villa.

As dramatic as Harry Maguire’s last-minute comeback for the 10-man Red Devils at Porto was, more startling inadequacies were exposed by an incredible 3-3 draw.

Since Ten Hag assumed management at Old Trafford in April 2022, no Premier League team has conceded three or more goals more frequently across all competitions than Ten Hag’s team did following the thrilling Europa League match.

It might be getting lonelier and lonelier for Man Utd boss Erik ten HagCredit: Getty

The Dutchman stunned many by taking off Marcus Rashford, right, and later saw key midfielder Bruno Fernandes sent offCredit: Reuters

Sub Harry Maguire rescued a late draw for the Red Devils at Porto

Now, United travels to Aston Villa for a crucial Premier League match on Sunday. Villa is high after defeating Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

And this Sunday, when the Red Devils visit Villa Park, United manager Sir Jim Ratcliffe will be watching from the stands, so the Dutchman will be under even more pressure.

Ten Hag claimed that he will not only survive but also prosper in the long run, despite yet another night of shoddy defence.

The Dutchman replied, “We’ll make it there.” Judge us at the conclusion of the season, not right now.

“We are working on it, and we will get better. We’ve made it to the finals in the last two seasons; just be patient.

He did, however, continue, saying, “You see again that the team is willing, strong character, but we need to improve the middle part, the defending.”

“We need to improve both our ball handling and defence.”

Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund gave United a well-earned 2-0 lead early on, despite two errors by Porto keeper Diogo Costa.

However, Pepe and Samu Omorodion’s strikes levelled the score for the Portuguese behemoths.

Ten Hag surprised many when he announced that Rashford was being rested for the weekend rather than suffering an injury when he took off the player during the second half of play.

Omorodion, a forward from Spain, quickly put the home team ahead.

And before Ten Hag took yet another risky move, Porto might have easily found additional openings for United at the back.

Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs De Ligt, the central defenders, were replaced with Maguire and Jonny Evans in a like-for-like gamble.

But almost immediately, Bruno Fernandes, the key midfielder for the Red Devils, was sent off for the second straight game after a contentious second yellow card.

Luckily, in stoppage time, Maguire crushed home a header that saved a point.

In the last moments of the thrilling draw, Maguire, who was left out of the England team yesterday, replied to the insult by nodding home.

To the question of whether the players at United believe in Ten Hag, Maguire said, “Yes, without a doubt.” After six years of playing for this club, I am familiar with its operations.

“Not only do the players feel pressure during a difficult period, but the manager also does.”

He’s had enough experience to know how to handle it. It comes with the territory when you manage this club or play for it.

In the Europa League standings, United is now mired in 21st position.

Despite claiming he will get it right, Ten Hag looked under pressureCredit: Reuters

The Red Devils at least produced a healthy number of goal attempts

“You’ve got to be a little bit more solid and secure when you go 2-0 up away from home in a place like this,” Maguire continued.

“There were way too many openings and several crosses entering the field. They finally punished us in the first half. In the first half, we played really well when we had the ball, but we played really badly when we didn’t.

We have to get past a mental obstacle, so to speak. Most likely, belief is the first step. Does the confidence wane a little bit when we lead 2-0 and then lose?

“We must acknowledge it and ensure that, even in moments of surrender, we gather ourselves and remain unified.” We must improve on that.

“The boys on the pitch need to understand that this has happened much too frequently. We cannot give up as many goals as we have this season if we hope to succeed.

At the break, Alejandro Garnacho replaced goal scorer Marcus Rashford, and Ten Hag declared, “We have to rotate.” Garnacho had a fantastic game on Sunday and throughout the season, even though we didn’t start him.

“We have an away game and a quick turnaround against Villa, who have had a day to recover.”

With only one win in their last ten European matches, United has now conceded at least three goals on their last four away days from Europe.

Four goals were conceded against Bayern, followed by four, three, and three against FC Copenhagen, Galatasaray, and Porto.

Surely, no squad with such pitiful statistics can contend for a trophy.

Bruno Fernandes was sent off for the second match in a rowCredit: Getty

Casemiro had another miserable night in United’s midfield

Additionally, the Red Devils lead all Prem sides in leakers when you consider the entire picture, including all tournaments.

Since the beginning of the previous season, United has given up two goals or more thirty-one times.

That’s another unwelcome total that puts United at the top of the leaderboard.

Given how hot it is getting in Ten Hag, it makes sense that they would travel to Unai Emery’s soaring Villa.

With just two victories in six games, the Red Devils are merely in 13th place.

That ties their worst-ever Premier League start to a season, and supporters are worried that the suffering may get worse before getting better—that is, unless Ten Hag can come up with a speedy fix that just could hold the key to his own destiny.