Pressure is mounting on Erik ten Hag after what has been a poor start to the season for Manchester United.  

After an impressive first season, there are early signs that history is repeating itself as things start to go sour for another manager in the post Sir Alex Ferguson era at Old Trafford.

United showed signs of improvement under Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, only for the wheels to then fall off and lead to their dismissal from the club. 

Despite this, Ten Hag still holds the highest win rate out of any permanent Manchester United boss in the history of the club – at 62.34 per cent.  

History is threatening to repeat itself with pressure beginning to mount on Erik ten Hag after Manchester United’s poor start to the season

United similarly showed improvements under Jose Mourinho (left) and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (right) only for the wheels to fall off and ultimately lead to them leaving Old Trafford

There is only one manager with a higher win rate (66.67), though that is Michael Carrick who only guided United for three games between the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and the appointment of interim boss Ralf Rangnick in 2021.

However the Dutchman fares worse off than some of the other managers to guide United since Ferguson’s 2013 retirement across other factors.

Perhaps the most worrying statistic, is that United are shipping in goals at a higher rate per game than they have under any other manager except Rangnick.

Under Ten Hag, United are conceding goals at an average of 1.16 per game, with only Rangnick (1.28) and David Moyes (1.06) also seeing their respective United sides concede more than one goal per game.

Jose Mourinho’s side was the most defensively sound at 0.84 goals per game. This is impressive compared to Ten Hag’s numbers, given he managed United for 144 matches, while the Dutchman has done just 77 to date.

United played 168 games under Solskjaer from 2018 to 2021, conceding 0.98 goals per game.

It was under the Norwegian where they scored the most goals per game at a rate of 1.92, ahead of Mourinho and David Moyes on 1.69 and Ten Hag’s 1.66.

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Van Gaal and David Moyes’ United sides conceded less goals than Ten Hag at 0.95 and 1.06 per game respectively. Ten Hag’s Dutch compatriot though averaged fewer goals at 1.53. 

The true measure of success though is the trophies that the managers brought to the club. 

United’s decline started with David Moyes who was given the near impossible task of replacing Sir Alex Ferguson

Louis van Gaal led United to the FA Cup but was given the boot after just two years

It could be argued Jose Mourinho was United’s best manager since Ferguson given he won three trophies – though his style didn’t please supporters and he alienated players

Ten Hag and Van Gaal have both won one competition respectively, though it is the latter who picked up the more prestigious trophy in the FA Cup.

Mourinho is still the most successful United manager post Ferguson, winning three trophies during the 2016-17 season, albeit, one was the Community Shield.

He also led the club to a Carabao Cup victory, as well as success in Europe by winning the Europa League. 

In terms of the league, it is Mourinho and Solskjaer who have led United to their highest finishing position with second in 2018 and 2021 respectively.

Mourinho led them to their highest points total since Ferguson with 81 in the 2017-18 campaign – although they finished 19 points off title winners Man City. 

Solskjaer’s United finished just 12 points off the title in 2021, while Ten Hag’s side finished 14 points off Man City in third last season. 

Ten Hag – despite recent bad form – still holds the highest win rate of any permanent United boss in history