With United trailing 2-1 against Bournemouth on the cusp of half-time at the Vitality Stadium, Ten Hag cut a forlorn figure on the touchline – and disgruntled fans wasted no time in calling for his head online. While Ineos and Ratcliffe have remained tight-lipped over Ten Hag’s future, recent reports have indicated that the former Ajax chief is currently being included in plans for next season.

It remains to be seen, though, whether that stance would change if results are poor between now and the end of the season. Following strong links to Southgate last month, Ten Hag insisted that he was paying no attention to any of the noise over his future – even though he has not been publicly endorsed by either Ratcliffe or Ineos.

“You know at Man United there will always be noise, rumors around the club, the manager, the players,” he said in a press conference. “We are focusing on the process, we are focusing on the team to play better, to improve the way of play, so I don’t care about [it].”

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