Manchester United vs. Everton: No excuse to lose

Ten Hag has run out of excuses now, and it is either win Everton or face the Manchester United onslaught.

After suffering back to back defeats in what would be considered a disaster class of a season, nothing could be made simpler for Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United as they host Everton at Old Trafford at lunch time kickoff.

The story is simple; win or win, nothing else.

That is assuming the case still remains to push for a top 4 or top 5 finish in the premier league like Erik ten Hag recently said.

For the Toffees, it appears a similar fate also, if not even more dire than it is for Manchester United. Despite the initial 10-points deduction being reduced, Everton still find themselves dangling in the ranks of the drop zone after going 10 premier league games without a single win.

This will come as an added incentive for the Blue side of Merseyside to want to prove a point in their journey to Old Trafford if they hope to salvage their season by any means. But for Erik ten Hag, this is rather a conundrum as failing to get a result against Everton gives the Manchester United hierarchy a reason to lose confidence in the project.

There stands multiple reports already that new managers are being eyed as Ten Hag’s replacement, whether true or not, Manchester United failing to get a win from an Everton side who has gone 10 league games without a victory, only leaves the Dutchman’s days at Old Trafford numbered.

The plan now is very much simple; Everton cannot come out of this game with a result be it a point or 3, with Manchester United now desperate for a response to the 3-1 humiliation at the Etihad a week ago.