Erik ten Hag 'will be sacked by Christmas' as Man Utd prepare for Premier League opener against Fulham

United were poor for large sections of last term, with the Red Devils finishing eighth - their lowest-placed finish in the Premier League era.

However, after winning the FA Cup, Ten Hag was spared from the sack and given a new contract.

It's understood United sounded out several candidates about potentially taking over at a time when his future was uncertain.

Thomas Tuchel was one man who held talks with Sir Jim Ratcliffe, only for the German to make it clear he was keen to take a break from football after a turbulent spell in charge of Bayern Munich.

United have since backed Ten Hag with several big transfers, with Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt, Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee all snapped up.

But Sutton, writing for the Daily Mail, thinks Ten Hag could lose his job by Christmas as tonight's clash with Fulham looms.

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"United may have stuck with Ten Hag this summer but they were also conducting interviews with potential replacements including Thomas Tuchel," he said.

"Just because Ten Hag survived does not mean he is safe.

"The pressure is still very much on the Dutchman and, as the manager of a behemoth like United, it would only take one sorry spell of defeats for him to be ousted.

"Will he be gone by Christmas? I wouldn’t be surprised — and neither should you."

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United haven't been afraid to sack managers in recent years, despite giving them new deals.

They thought Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would usher in a new era of success when the Norwegian penned an extension in 2021.

However, despite bringing Cristiano Ronaldo back to Old Trafford, Solskjaer was axed after just nine games with the Portugal icon.

Before that, Jose Mourinho signed a new deal with United in March 2018.

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Yet he was gone seven months later, with the current Fenerbache boss axed after a dreadful 3-1 defeat away at Liverpool.

Ten Hag, meanwhile, has admitted United are 'not ready' for the start of the new season - but confesses they cannot 'hide' from that as they look to beat Fulham tonight.

"The team is not ready but the league starts," he said.

“There are more managers who definitely have this problem but we have to make a start.

“We can’t hide from it. We can’t run away from it. We have to deal with it.”

When asked about injuries, he added: "It's not about the players who are not available.

"It's also what I said always last season: it's about the players who are available and we have a good group, we can make a strong selection."