'The FA Cup saved Ten Hag' - Ogden

ESPN's Mark Ogden says winning the FA Cup "saved" Erik ten Hag's job but believes Ineos will not keep accepting poor results and a lack of progress.

United slumped to an eighth-placed finish last season - the worst since 1990 - but Ten Hag kept his job after beating Manchester City at Wembley. However, the Dutchman is under pressure again after Sunday's 3-0 home defeat by Liverpool.

Three points from their opening three games has left them 14th in the early Premier League.

"The reality is that the FA Cup saved him," Ogden told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast. "It put Ineos in a very difficult position in that they couldn’t really sack a manager who had just won the FA Cup.

"Two or three months prior to that, United were not pushing back on the stories that they were speaking to other managers. Gareth Southgate was very high on their list; Mauricio Pochettino, Kieran McKenna, Roberto de Zerbi, and Thomas Tuchel were all scrutinised but none of them really fit the bill.

"So, they either had to start again with one of the imperfect candidates, or ride the wave after winning the cup. The fans made a big impact too. They helped to save his job because they made it pretty clear they wanted him to stay.

"Had they not won the FA Cup, it would’ve been so much easier to get rid of him."

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