Will Manchester United's slide cost Erik ten Hag his job?

Since closing out November with a 3-0 win over Everton, United have slid to eighth place with losses to Newcastle and Bournemouth before West Ham and were also eliminated from European competition after a 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich on Dec. 12 put them last place in their UEFA Champions League (UCL) group. 

Their 13 losses across all competitions are also the most for the club since the 1930-31 campaign, when United finished bottom of the table. 

Premier League analyst Peter Schmeichel he thinks the issues stem from the players. 

The problem is that they are largely players ten Hag wanted. 

One of the conditions of ten Hag moving on from his successful run in the Netherlands with Ajax was control over transfer decisions, as ESPN's Rob Dawson reported in April 2022.

Since ten Hag's taken over, the club has invested $426.3 million on players in the transfer market with one goal in mind: catching Manchester City to win its first title since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2012-13. 

While United's crosstown rival isn't having the dominant season that's become synonymous with Manchester City in recent history, United don't look remotely like a team ready to challenge a league title in 2023-24.

Rasmus Hojlund signed for $92 million from Atalanta this summer, as did Mason Mount for $69 million from Chelsea. 

Hojlund is still looking for his first Premier League goal (he did score five in the Champions League) in 14 appearances, while Mount has had trouble staying on the pitch with just eight appearances in United's first 18 matches. 

Meanwhile goalkeeper Andre Onana — ten Hag's replacement for longtime goalkeeper David de Gea — has had his own blunders. 

With another goal-less loss, the chance at a European trophy gone, and the gulf widening between Manchester United and a spot in next season's UCL field, the club's new owners could decide to move on sooner rather than later.