Manchester United won't rush to decide future of manager Erik ten Hag

Manchester United will take their time to decide the future of their manager Erik ten Hag, under whom the club has been struggling this season, ESPN reported on Tuesday.

United are currently in eighth place in the Premier League standings after losing to Crystal Palace 4-0 on Monday. They have three games to go and will face Arsenal, Newcastle United and Brighton in order.

Arsenal are leading the Premier League and are in a close title race with Manchester City. Newcastle are still hopeful of competing for UEFA Europa League qualification. Both will be well-motivated to spare no effort against United. Brighton have no goal to fight for but no worry of being relegated either. When they host United at home with no burden, they can still be very dangerous.

Jim Ratcliffe, who acquired 25 percent of United's shares, and the club's newly appointed technical director, Jason Wilcox, don't want to make a "panicked" decision over Ten Hag, according to the report. The Dutch manager's contract won't expire until 2025. He didn't receive any formal assurance that he would continue to manage the Red Devils after the 2023-24 campaign.

United's next big game will be the FA Cup final against City at Wembley Stadium in London on May 25. The result of that game may be crucial in the context of Ten Hag's future at Old Trafford. However, the other three Premier League games matter as well because the club remains in contention for one of the European places. Making the Europa League or Europa Conference League next season won't be as sweet as appearing in the UEFA Champions League, but either will be better than missing all European competitions.

United need to play in European tournaments to fund their transfers in order to fix their roster, if not for a complete rebuild. The club didn't make any big move during the winter transfer window over concerns about UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules as well as the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules.