Manchester United extended their winless run to five games after a 0-0 stalemate against Aston Villa at Villa Park on Sunday. The result added more pressure on manager Erik ten Hag as his team remained in 14th place, having won just two of their opening seven Premier League matches this season.
Bruno Fernandes came closest to breaking the deadlock, hitting the crossbar with a second-half free-kick, but United’s struggles in front of goal continued, failing to score for the third consecutive league game.
Despite the point, Ten Hag’s side is still in the bottom half of the table, while Villa, who had a memorable win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League earlier in the week, missed a chance to break into the top four.
United’s latest setback follows a humiliating 3-0 defeat to Tottenham last weekend, which further increased doubts over Ten Hag’s future.
A 3-3 draw with Porto in the Europa League on Thursday added to their defensive concerns, with United squandering a two-goal lead before Harry Maguire salvaged a point with a late equalizer.
In an attempt to stabilize his defense, Ten Hag opted to drop Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt after their poor performances in Portugal.
Instead, Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans were brought into the starting lineup, but Villa offered little threat, resulting in a largely uneventful first half.
Marcus Rashford, one of United’s few attacking sparks, forced Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez into two saves.
However, Rashford was eventually substituted in the second half after narrowly escaping a second yellow card for fouls on Leon Bailey.
Fernandes nearly snatched a winner for United with a well-taken free-kick, but his effort hit the bar, leaving both teams to settle for a point.
Villa’s Jhon Duran, who has been a key impact player off the bench this season, failed to make a difference this time as the game ended without any major chances.
With just eight points from their first seven league games, this marks Manchester United’s worst start to a season since 1989.
Co-owner Jim Ratcliffe was present at Villa Park, and with the international break looming, the club’s hierarchy must decide whether to continue backing Ten Hag or make a managerial change.
