Will this be Erik ten Hag’s final chance as struggling manager takes underperforming Manchester United team to red-hot Aston Villa? Chris Wheeler wonders.

The last stand for David Moyes came at Everton. For Louis van Gaal it was Wembley, Liverpool for Jose Mourinho and Watford for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Could Villa Park be the scene for Erik ten Hag’s final game as Manchester United manager on Sunday?

Ten Hag’s comments after Thursday’s 3-3 Europa League draw with FC Porto, and the way he breezed through the press room at the Estadio do Dragao afterwards with a cheery wave, did not give off the air of a man about to face a firing squad.

‘I like Erik,’ said Ratcliffe who declined to say whether he still has faith in him. ‘I think he’s a very good coach but at the end of the day it’s not my call. It’s the management team that’s running Manchester United that have to decide how we best run the team in many different respects.

‘Our objective is very clear. We want to take Manchester United back to where it should be, and it’s not there yet — that’s very clear.’

So Ten Hag is back where he was in May, wide open to the sack and reliant on Ratcliffe and the people he has put in charge sharing his vision for the future rather than reacting to present problems.

The Dutchman won the FA Cup final and a reprieve, but not before Ineos had explored a number of alternatives. It is inconceivable that they are not assessing their options again. Back then, Ten Hag’s rhetoric was much the same as it is now: he insisted he had the support of the new hierarchy and they were all in this together, following an agreed process.

Privately, however, Ten Hag was telling people that he didn’t know what the future held for him and his staff. After an end-of-season review, Ineos director of sport Sir Dave Brailsford led a delegation to the manager’s holiday home in Ibiza to tell Ten Hag they wanted him to stay and to discuss the way forward.

The 54-year-old kept his job but his coaching staff of Mitchell van der Gaag, Steve McClaren, Benni McCarthy and Richard Hartis did not.

Worryingly for Ten Hag, Ratcliffe alluded to the fact on Friday that neither chief executive Omar Berrada nor sporting director Dan Ashworth were in place when the decision to keep him was made.

‘They only arrived in July,’ said Ratcliffe, who will be at Villa Park. ‘You can count it in weeks almost, they’ve not been there a long time, so they need to take stock and make some sensible decisions.’

It echoed comments made by Berrada and Ashworth when they met the media early last month and gave their public backing to Ten Hag. ‘In terms of the contract, that was a decision that was taken prior to both of our rivals,’ said Berrada. ‘But we’re very happy with that decision. Erik has our full backing and we have worked very closely together.’

Asked what input he had in keeping Ten Hag, Ashworth replied: ‘I didn’t start until July 1, so none whatsoever. All I can do is reiterate what I remember saying: I’ve really enjoyed working with Erik for the last eight weeks. I see my job as to support him in every way I possibly can.’

Still, it’s hard to believe that Berrada or Ashworth were not in the loop while they were on gardening leave at Manchester City and Newcastle — just as Ratcliffe was fooling no one by suggesting he won’t be involved in the decision over Ten Hag’s future this time.

And right now, the stats don’t read well. After surviving United’s worst-ever Premier League season, finishing down in eighth, and a wretched Champions League campaign, his team go to Villa having drawn both their opening Europa League fixtures. In Porto, United conceded three goals for the 24th time in two and a half years under Ten Hag.

Those keeping a keen eye on his assistant Ruud van Nistelrooy noted that he was booked for protesting a decision during the game and then stayed out longer than Ten Hag or any of the players at the end to applaud the supporters.

Van Nistelrooy would be an intriguing option if United decide to change manager, but there will be no shortage of other candidates. As he heads for Villa Park, Ten Hag is still hoping it’s a choice United won’t have to make.