Erik ten Hag will know that a heavy defeat in the Manchester derby will do nothing to strengthen his position as Man United manager.
As CaughtOffside columnist, Fabrizio Romano, noted in his exclusive Daily Briefing, there could be big changes afoot when Sir Jim Ratcliffe finally takes over sporting operations at Old Trafford.
Whilst there’s no suggestion that ten Hag could be one of the casualties, it’s clear that the Dutchman needs to start getting a tune out of his underperforming stars.
Even their wins this season have been fairly lacklustre, and the Red Devils manager knows that his squad have to do better.
United “have a way to go,” he was quoted as saying by The Independent (subscription required).
Pep Guardiola’s Man City side remain the benchmark both domestically and in Europe, and though they’ve lost a couple of matches already this season, when they hit their sweet spot, there’s no stopping them.
For his squad’s confidence and his future job prospects as much as anything else, ten Hag won’t want United to be on the end of a hammering on Sunday afternoon.
A positive result against their biggest rivals will surely kick-start their 2023/24 campaign and, if that happens, by the time Sir Jim Ratcliffe arrives he’ll have one less thing to worry about.