Manchester United

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has been speaking to the media before Thursday's Europa League game against Porto (kick-off 20:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Ten Hag confirmed Mason Mount did not travel after picking up a knock and a head injury, while he hopes Luke Shaw will be back after the international break.

• On the mood around the team after the Tottenham defeat: "Always, when we are not winning we are disappointed and we are also mad with ourselves."

• He added: "We are mad, mad with ourselves, especially when you lose a game like Sunday... but you have to deal with it. We are mad, and from the madness we have to get motivation."

• On Improving results: "Everyone has to take responsibility and that starts with me as the manager. But on the pitch we have leadership skills and they have to stand up. Every game for us is important and every opponent is 100% motivated. We have to be ready to compete and fight with them."

• He said they "talk everyday" with the new football structure at the club: "We are a union and we made that commitment in the summer. We refreshed the staff and I appointed my assistants, I appointed the staff. I did this. We refreshed the squad as well."

• He added: "This club wants to be back on top and it's a long-term target. We talk every day. Every day we evaluate and review the process and where necessary we make our decisions."

• Speaking to Dan Ashworth is "not necessary to give me confidence," the United boss said and added: "We talk every day about how we can improve this club, this team, improve the processes, the procedures, the connections. That is what we talk about."

• On taking chances: "We create a lot of chances, the third highest xG in the Premier League. We have to improve the final third and in the box game, be more killers there. Our strikers are capable of doing this."

• On if the players have belief: "I have seen so many games where we are completely confident. City in the FA Cup and Community Shield, you see the team have such a great belief in the plan and in each other."

How can Manchester United improve ahead of a big week for the future of Erik ten Hag? The Football News Show details what they can tweak tactically, and boost psychologically, as well as hearing what supporters want to see change.

Watch the show above or here on iPlayer and get more all the episodes from The Football News Show here

The Football News Show has been examining the record of Erik ten Hag at Manchester United.

There have been noteworthy cup wins, moments of promise and some memorable victories on the road to silverware.

But heavy defeats have at times proven humbling - so are United making progress?

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

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Manchester United midfielder Mason Mount missed training as a precaution ahead of tomorrow’s trip to FC Porto - but midfielder Kobbie Mainoo was present.

Mainoo was substituted during the first-half of Sunday’s 3-0 home defeat by Tottenham with what appeared to be a hamstring injury.

The England star had a scan on Monday and it appears the damage was not what it first appeared.

Mount suffered a cut to the head in the same game. United officials have stressed it is not concussion but the former Chelsea man missed training to avoid suffering further damage.

Old Trafford used to be one of the most daunting grounds to visit in the Premier League, but Manchester United have lost eight of their past 20 at the Theatre of Dreams in the league.

Consecutive 3-0 home league defeats have left Erik ten Hag's side languishing in mid-table - so how can they make Old Trafford a place to fear once again?

Sport psychologist Dr Gillian Cook joins The Football News Show to explain how United's players and staff must embrace a siege mentality and ignore what could go wrong.

Watch a United special on BBC iPlayer

BBC Radio Manchester's Gaz Drinkwater believes that Manchester United's 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur could "possibly" spark the end for Erik ten Hag but is worried history could repeat itself if they do part ways with their manager.

Speaking on the latest episode of The Devils' Advocate podcast, Drinkwater said: "Are we ready to go through this again?

"We have seen this before and we are about to do it again. Third year, third season for a manager, a breakdown in the autumn, a sacking just before Christmas and rinse and repeat.

"I don't know what to do because I don't think Ten Hag deserves the job at the minute - but I don't know if I can go through this again. An interim manager comes in, they do well, the interim becomes the manager and in two seasons we sack him in October. Maybe it's something to do with the players.

"Ineos have a got a huge decision to make here but I think possibly it is the end of Erik ten Hag."

Co-host Joe McGrath echoed Drinkwater's sentiments, however, he added he believes Ten Hag will be "gone by the international break".

"You have to be aware this manager is walking a tightrope as he should be after Manchester United's worst Premier League finish," McGrath said. "But he's fallen off it now.

"I don't want people to think we are saying dramatic things for clicks and for people to listen - it's just how I feel now.

"He's got two games before the international break and he'll be gone by it."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

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Manchester United are unbeaten in their past 12 major European matches against Portuguese clubs since losing 2-1 to Benfica in December 2005.

Liverpool are ready to rival Manchester United for Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite and could even move for the 22-year-old Englishman in January. (Mail), external

Former England boss Gareth Southgate is Manchester United's top pick to replace Erik ten Hag as manager. (ipaper), external

The Old Trafford club are also interested in speaking to ex-Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri if they sack Ten Hag. (Football Insider), external

However, Ten Hag retains the support of the senior players at Manchester United despite the side's poor start to the season. (Telegraph), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

It feels like everyone is talking about Manchester United this week, but what is the one thing about the club - good or bad - that nobody is talking about but should be?

Tell us over here, external

After a chastening 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag faces a huge week with trips to Porto in the Europa League and Aston Villa in the Premier League.

Joe Smith from fan channel Stretford Paddock tells The Football News Show why the Dutchman's plight can be likened to a contestant on gameshow The Chase.

Watch a Manchester United special from The Football News Show on BBC iPlayer

Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton believes Manchester United will not improve until they "get a top quality coach in".

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club, Sutton said: "The owners are going to get egg on their face. They might as well get on with it and get the egg on the face for giving him a new deal.

"They had faith in him and in a short space of time it has unravelled. It's not going to happen under Ten Hag - that was pretty evident.

"He has had his time, in fairness.

"This is just going to rumble on. Manchester United are not a top quality team and until they get a top quality coach in they are not going to improve.

"This plan of winning the Premier League in 2028 - it's a strange start to the plan by keeping Ten Hag in place."

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer or listen on BBC Sounds

The New York Times' Rory Smith and Leicester defender Conor Coady have been speaking about Manchester United's lack of playing style on the latest episode of BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.

"There's maybe two clubs in the Premier League who if you were asked to sum up how they play you're not quite sure - that is Manchester United and West Ham," Smith said.

Coady added: "The hardest thing from being in the Premier League now is giving the opposition space. If you give the opposition space, they can kill you.

"You've got to be compact. You've got to be together - whether that's as a defensive or attacking team.

"Manchester United just seem a little bit in the middle. I see Manchester United's full-backs coming inside but there's still loads of space.

"You go through the whole of the Premier League and you've got to have a style. You've got to sign a certain profile of player to give you that style and to give you a chance to win games in the Premier League because it's that tough."

Alex Turk
Fan writer

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Manchester United may have shown glimpses of improvement in some areas in the early stages of the season, but football is a results business, especially in M16.

And there is only so much that even the most patient of fans - a reputation I try my best to uphold, at least publicly - can accept.

Back-to-back 3-0 league defeats at home is the definition of unacceptable. I could repeat the stronger adjectives I used on Sunday, but that is the part I will keep private.

The official word is Ineos remains supportive of Erik ten Hag, who is expected to oversee this week's daunting trips to Porto and Aston Villa.

That goes against the intensifying cries for change coming from an increasing number of fans tired of watching their team falter and fall while rivals triumph and thrive.

Yet there is a key element many are forgetting, and it could be the core reason why Ten Hag was offered a third season in the dugout when Ineos was unconvinced in the first place.

It boils down to financials. United recently made about 250 employees redundant as part of a ruthless cost-cutting process overseen by Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

The club faced paying about £10m to terminate the final year of Ten Hag's contract in the summer. Now, after the decision to trigger the extension in his deal as a show of faith, he has 21 months left.

Ineos can ill afford many more hiccups so early in what has been advertised as the start of a new era at United.

Splashing what would now be as much as £18m to sack a manager months after backing him with another £200m in the transfer market would not be a good look.

However, letting such glaring mediocrity continue could prove even more costly.

It is a dilemma the next two matches will help answer.

Find more from Alex Turk at Stretford Paddock, external

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New York Times journalist Rory Smith says Manchester United show "no sign of progress or of having a plan" under Erik ten Hag - which is "remarkable" given he signed a new contract in the summer.

"There is nothing new to say about Ten Hag and United," he told BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club. "It might not be an unprecedented situation, but it is quite a remarkable one.

"As we all know, they interviewed him for his own job in the summer and then gave him a new contract, but they are exactly where they were last season.

"The Spurs performance is not a one-off. It is not the first time it has happened and it will not be the last under Ten Hag. There is no sign of progress or a plan.

"I take no pleasure in watching him slowly dwindle away, but I also don’t understand how United have got themselves into this position."

Listen to the full discussion on the Monday Night Club

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The consensus on Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag remains very much split among BBC Sport readers.

Here are some of your comments:

Daniel: Why always blame the manager? He puts out what he thinks is his best team only to be let down. Stop blaming the manager and blame the players who couldn’t care less. Start a rebuild with people who are proud to wear the jersey.

John: This was another poor performance by United and the red card for Bruno Fernandes should not mask the inadequacy of the team's preparedness for this match. Ten Hag is out of his depth for a club like Manchester United. No idea, no team structure and no plan to recover from where we are. The new hierarchy should now show what they are made of and make the necessary changes.

Steve: Why is everybody jumping on the bandwagon and clamouring for Ten Hag to be sacked? Let's just all calm down a bit here. Yes, they have been awful. Yes, the players look lost. However, it's early in the season with a lot of new players who will take a bit of time to gel together. No need for any 'Ta Ra Erik' banners yet. Keep the faith.

Anthony: The club is a disaster. It all went wrong soon after Sir Alex Ferguson's departure because, I would say, they had not recognised the significance. How many times have they changed the manager? How much have they spent on star signings? New ownership, new management team and still the same look. Should Ten Hag go? Of course. He has not turned it around.

John: I felt sorry for the situation at Old Trafford on Sunday. United had four new players in the team and lots still recovering from injuries. I have seen worse United performances over the years, including the year they got relegated. I would just sell Marcus Rashford and give the manager until the end of the year. I have supported since 1963.

Paul: Embarrassing. No plan and no encouragement from the manager. I hate to say it, but Ten Hag is playing the same old way as last season! We need a change now - and not Gareth Southgate!

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Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton has told BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club that Ineos is responsible for the situation Manchester United are in because they kept manager Erik ten Hag on this summer despite two below average seasons.

United lost 3-0 at home to Tottenham on Sunday - a result that left them 13th in the Premier League, with seven points from their opening six games.

"I don't think it was the scoreline that has caused this reaction," said Sutton. "It was how the whole game panned out.

"At the start of this season you could have probably put United and Tottenham into a similar category in terms of where they will be at the end of the season. But [Spurs manager] Ange Postecoglou has an identity and United, under Erik ten Hag, lack one.

"I don't think this is on Ten Hag now - it is on Ineos. They all must be talking to each other at the top of the club. In the summer they were actively looking for somebody else, so it's not that they really rated Ten Hag as such. He won the FA Cup and he was just OK.

"I don't think United should be viewed by people as a cup team.

"If we were to look forward three months, do we honestly see this Manchester United team improving under Ten Hag based on what he has spent and what he has achieved?"

New York Times journalist Rory Smith tells BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club that he has sympathy for Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag amid more media speculation about his future at Old Trafford.

"Having a professional disappointment be dragged out so endlessly must be humiliating and agonising. On a human level, it's really hard not to feel sorry for him.

"He has not fulfilled what he was meant to do at Manchester United and it's hard to see a way in which it all ends OK and he gets what he wants from the job."

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer or listen on BBC Sounds

As expected, the fallout from Sunday's defeat by Tottenham continues and Manchester United dominate Tuesday's newspaper back pages.

Erik ten Hag is "safe - for now" but could Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi be a viable replacement should the Dutchman be sacked?

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On the latest episode of BBC Radio Manchester's The Devils' Advocate podcast, Gaz Drinkwater and Joe McGrath discussed Manchester United's 3-0 defeat by Tottenham at Old Trafford.

Goals from Brennan Johnson, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke sealed the win for Spurs, while Bruno Fernandes saw red late in the first half to complete a miserable day for United.

"At first I thought this was the worst performance I've ever seen at Old Trafford, then I thought it was the worst performance under Erik ten Hag in any stadium and then I thought, actually, it's the worst Manchester United performance I've seen in my lifetime," McGrath said.

"I can't think of a performance that was so lacking in any sort of belief that Manchester United were ever going to get anything out of the game than that one. They were horrendous from the first whistle.

"Spurs were better at everything. They were faster, stronger, more tactically adept and they were playing their way through Manchester United players like a knife through butter.

"I was reporting on the game and in work mode but had to switch to fan mode because I had to get across just how embarrassed I was as a Manchester United fan that I had to watch a group of players that firstly didn't look any good and also looked like a team set up in a way that they didn't know how to play football with each other against a very well-coached team.

"Despite that, on paper, I still think that Manchester United's starting XI is better than Spurs' starting XI. They didn't even have the best player. It was a shambles - the worst I've ever seen. It was terrible."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds