Porto manager makes classy Erik ten Hag offer amid Manchester United sack pressure

FC Porto head coach Vítor Bruno sympathises with under-pressure Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag.

Ten Hag has come under increasing scrutiny at Old Trafford following United's difficult start to the season. United have suffered heavy defeats at home to Liverpool and Tottenham to leave them 13th in the Premier League table.

United's poor start to 2024/2025 follows their eighth-place finish last season, their lowest top-flight ranking since 1989/1990. Ten Hag was backed by Ineos, and even handed a contract extension, despite the United hierarchy said to be talking with other potential managerial candidates at that time.

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The Manchester Evening News understands, though, that United will stick with Ten Hag for now.

Ahead of Thursday's important clash with Porto, Bruno has made a kind gesture towards United's under-pressure manager. Indeed, the 41-year-old has even offered to share a glass of wine with Ten Hag post-match.

"I don't know him. I haven't met him yet, but I'd love to, really," he said. "There's a coach in Portugal called [Carlos] Carvalhal, he coaches Braga and he worked in the Premier League and the Championship, and he also said, at the end of the match, they go together and drink a glass of wine.

"If Ten Hag wants, the dressing room is open for him. A lot of respect. It's our life [being under pressure] and mine also. When you lose one match, you're almost done."

When asked about United captain Bruno Fernandes after his sending off against Spurs on Sunday, he added: "An international player is always a quality player. Besides that, he also played at Sporting so he will, for sure, want to make a great performance tomorrow.

"The way he was sent off in the last game, it was not reasonable. He's a very good player, very, very good and we must be very aware, control him and not let him play the way he likes to play.

"We're always, always ready to stop his style of playing. The way he passes the ball, the way he can cross, dribble and shoot, we cannot give him space."