Why Erik ten Hag will be secretly supporting Manchester City in the Champions League

Picture the scene. Erik ten Hag settles down in his front room with a glass of wine to cheer on Manchester City in the Champions League.

Yes, that’s right. Ten Hag may be a Red, but he’s most-definitely in the Blue corner when it comes to the Champions League.

The Premier League badly needs to boost its UEFA coefficient after Ten Hag’s Manchester United and Newcastle exited the Champions League in the knock-out round. Ten Hag needs City, and Arsenal for that matter, to go deep in the competition and boost the Premier League’s hopes of getting an extra spot in next season’s expanded competition.

That would mean fifth place in the Premier League earning the lucky recipients a coveted spot in the Champions League.

This is hugely relevant to United as they battle for the top places and they are sixth, five points behind fifth-placed Aston Villa. Fourth place would guarantee United’s passage back into the Champions League, but Tottenham, with all their stars back, look in no mood to give that up.

The stakes could not be higher for ten Hag and his future as United boss is riding on this.

Finish outside the Champions League places, and he will almost certainly be sacked, as was the case with his compatriot Louis van Gaal, who suffered the indignity of finding out Jose Mourinho was replacing him in the hours after winning the FA Cup in 2016.

Finish in them, and Ten Hag might have done enough to persuade Sir Jim Ratcliffe that he is turning around the supertanker that is Manchester United.

United are coming with a flourish and they are unbeaten in 2024, winning four of their last five games. They have won their last three Premier League games in impressive style, overtaking West Ham and closing in on Villa in the Champions League race.